The Grove Report

Fox Sports Analyst Breaks Down Why Ole Miss Football is a Top-25 Team Post-Spring

The Rebels enter the 2025 season with a new-look roster, analysts believe the program can handle business.
Zack Nagy|
Dec 4, 2021; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt during the Michigan Wolverines game against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Conference championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Dec 4, 2021; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt during the Michigan Wolverines game against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Conference championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Ole Miss Rebels

Ole Miss will have a different look in 2025 with the program reconstructing the roster during a pivotal offseason, but it isn't stopping analysts from believing in the Rebels.

Lane Kiffin and Co. will have redshirt-sophomore Austin Simmons under center as the new signal-caller in Oxford with first-rounder Jaxson Dart headed to the NFL.

Despite a new quarterback lining up for the Rebels, alongside multiple new wideouts, there's a belief in what Ole Miss can put together.

Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt evaluated the Rebels and the product they can put on the field in 2025. He has included Ole Miss in his post-spring Top-25

“At No. 20, I’ve got Ole Miss,” Klatt stated. “They’ve got to replace a lot of talent, obviously, from last year’s team, including Jaxson Dart, now a first-round quarterback after that selection by the Giants. They’re going to turn to Austin Simmons, who backed up Dart last year.

“Lane’s always active in the portal. They’re always going to be talented. They brought in reinforcements. I just, you know, as I’m sitting there, and I’m listing teams, and I’m looking at teams and coaches and thinking about the guys that I trust, the systems that I trust. It’s easy to leave Ole Miss, you know, out at times, but I’m not going to do that.

“I just, I trust, I know this sounds crazy after the little Twitter stuff, but like I trust Lane Kiffin a lot on the field. He’s going to have a very good football team. And so I’ve got them at No. 20.”

Kiffin and the Rebels have added over 25 players via the NCAA Transfer Portal while retooling the receiving corps, defensive line and secondary, among other position groups, heading into the fall.

All in all, the trust in Kiffin is why multiple analysts believe in what the program can put together this upcoming season in Oxford.

Ole Miss will open the 2025 season against Georgia State on Aug. 30 with the Rebels at home in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for Week 1.

More Ole Miss News:

The 2025 NFL Draft Recap: Ole Miss Sees Multiple Rebels Selected

Ole Miss Lands Commitment From Sought-After Transfer Safety

Super Bowl Champion, Ole Miss Star Wide Receiver AJ Brown Earns Prestigious Honor

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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.

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Zack Nagy
ZACK NAGY

Zack Nagy is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Ole Miss Rebels On SI, a Sports Illustrated Publication. Nagy has covered Rebel Football, Baseball, Basketball and Recruiting, looking to keep readers updated on anything and everything involving Ole Miss athletics. Nagy has covered the Southeastern Conference for over half a decade after being born and raised in New Orleans (La.).

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