Could Ole Miss Football Target a Coveted Clemson Defensive Back Transfer?

Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels continue their pursuit of additional help in the defensive backfield this offseason with the program set to utilize the NCAA Transfer Portal.

The spring window is vastly approaching where Kiffin and Co. will be eyeing multiple pieces in the defensive backfield to ramp up the competition level.

“A lot of work to do in the secondary,” Kiffin said during Spring Camp. “There’s so many new pieces. Even though there were new pieces last year, they had played a lot.

"You’d seen them start in the SEC, a lot of returning guys. Right now, I feel there’s a lot of guys in new schemes here, especially the back seven defensively, that need to get used to that.

“So we do a lot of reps and a lot of different situations to continue to expose guys to that so we can evaluate them.”

On Monday, Clemson Tigers cornerback Tavoy Feagin elected to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, according to On3 Sports.

BREAKING: Clemson CB Tavoy Feagin plans to enter the Transfer Portal, he tells @on3sports

The 6’0 185 CB will have 4 years of eligibility remaining

Held 52 Offers out of High School & was named an Under Armour All-Americanhttps://t.co/FtmwNfPpf5 pic.twitter.com/LV9KERbkd7
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 7, 2025

Once Feagin hit the portal, Ole Miss signal-caller Austin Simmons put the post on his Instagram story with it already gaining his attention.

The redshirt-freshman cornerback took 11 snaps during the 2024 campaign while maintaining the season of eligibility. He will have four years remaining at his next destination.

Coming out of high school, Feagin was a Top-30 cornerback prospect where he reeled in near double-digit interceptions during his senior campaign in Florida.

Ole Miss has brought in multiple new pieces in the secondary, including LSU transfer Sage Ryan.

The veteran presence has become a Swiss Army Knife in the secondary where he took reps at both cornerback and safety during his tenure in Baton Rouge.

Now, it's a fresh start for the Louisiana native after making his way to Oxford this offseason.

Now, looking to take his game to the next level, he was eager to plug into Pete Golding's NFL-style defense.

"What brought me to Ole Miss is the family-oriented program. I knew I could come here and be the best me," Ryan said. "Pete Golding himself sold me. I know it's an NFL defense that he runs and that would prepare me for the next level."

Over four years, Ryan totaled 114 tackles, including 6.5 for a loss, with five forced fumbles, 13 pass breakups and one interception.

Ryan has been in the starting lineup for four consecutive years in games against Ole Miss, including one of just two starts as a true freshman and his only start as a redshirt freshman.

So far in spring practice his experience hasn't been much different—he's still lining up against Ole Miss receivers, now he's just doing it wearing red and blue.

"It is kind of weird. I was talking to one of my buddies about that the other day. Last year going against Cayden Lee, but now I'm going against him but I'm on the same team," Ryan said. "It's been a smooth journey for me. I don't really think about it like that, I'm just a part of Ole Miss now."

Could Ole Miss target Clemson transfer Tavoy Feagin as another newcomer in the defensive backfield to join Ryan? Time will tell, but it's certainly received attention from the Rebels' projected starting cornerback.

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Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and Ole Miss Rebels On SI: @OleMissOnSI for all coverage surrounding the Ole Miss program.