Multiple Ole Miss Football Stars Named to 2025 Preseason Watch Lists

Lane Kiffin and the Rebels are just weeks away from the 2025 season opener against the Georgia State Panthers at Vaught Hemingway Stadium.

Following a productive offseason in Oxford, all eyes are on this fall with the Rebels looking to handle business with a new look roster.

Now, with less than 30 days until Ole Miss takes the field, the preseason watch lists are being revealed with the program once again well-represented.

The Watch List Members: 2025 Preseason Names to Know

Nagurski Trophy Watch List: Suntarine Perkins

Suntarine Perkins has been named to the preseason watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, as announced by the Football Writers Association of America on Tuesday morning.

The Raleigh, Mississippi native is one of 60 defensive standouts and 21 linebackers nationally, as well as one of 18 players overall from the SEC to make the Nagurski preseason list.

Perkins also stands as one of six top-15 sack leaders from a year ago to make the preseason watch list, with his 10.5 sacks as a sophomore finishing the 2024 campaign ranked tied for 10th in the FBS.

Perkins, already a preseason All-American by both Walter Camp (second-team) and Phil Steele (fourth-team) and a second-team media All-SEC selection, lit up the stat sheet for the powerful Rebel defense as a sophomore in 2024.

Perkins helped contribute to team program records in sacks (52) and tackles for loss (120), which both led the nation, ranking fourth on the team with 60 tackles while tying for the team lead in both TFL (14.0) and sacks (10.5).

Those 10.5 sacks ranked tied for second in Ole Miss single-season history, and his 14.0 TFL ranked tied for 10th all-time.

His most notable game last fall came against Oklahoma, where he notched 4.0 sacks – the most by a Rebel defender in a single game since 1993. In two years as a Rebel, Perkins owns 98 total tackles, 19.5 TFL and 14.0 sacks across 26 games played and 10 starts.

Butkus Award Watch List: TJ Dottery and Andrew Jones

TJ Dottery and Andrew Jones have both landed on the preseason watch list for the Butkus Award, as announced by the Butkus Foundation on Wednesday.

The Rebel duo are among 51 total linebackers selected to the watch list for the Butkus Award, a nod to its namesake Dick Butkus, who wore the number 51 during his storied professional career with the Chicago Bears that earned him the title of greatest defensive player in football history by NFL Films.

The Butkus Award was founded in 1985 and is given out annually to football's top linebacker at three different levels of the sport, particularly those who consistently play off the ball on their feet in a traditional two-point stance. All-American former Rebel and 2025 NFL Draft selection Chris Paul Jr. was a finalist for the award in 2024.

Dottery returns for his junior season at Ole Miss this fall as a key piece of the Rebel defense. Dottery is the top returning tackler from the 2024 unit at 76 total tackles, helped greatly by four double-digit tackle games in 12 total starts for the Rebels at inside linebacker.

Dottery tacked on 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks – contributing to team records in both sacks (52) and TFL (120), which both led the nation – in addition to four QB hurries, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup. Dottery ended the 2024 season as PFF's fifth-best linebacker in tackling, owning a season grade of 83.9.

Jones was named the 2024 SWAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year for Grambling State in 2024, seeing action at linebacker in all 12 games.

Jones ranked first in the conference and sixth nationally with 122 total tackles. His 20.5 tackles for loss ranked second in the SWAC and fourth in the FCS.

The Marrero, Louisiana, native registered double-digit tackles in 10 of GSU's 12 games, including a season-high 15 tackles against Alabama A&M. He was named the SWAC Defensive Player of the Week three times in 2024 and was a Buck Buchanan Award Finalist and an HBCU+ Player of the Year Finalist.

Wuerffel Trophy Watch List: Diego Pounds

Diego Pounds has been named to the preseason watch list for the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy, as announced by the Wuerffel Foundation on Thursday.

Pounds is among a record 116 FBS nominees for the Wuerffel Trophy, college football's premier award for community service that celebrates student-athletes who use their platforms to serve others and create positive change.

Named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winner and University of Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel, who turned his football success into a lifelong mission of service, the award reflects his legacy of leadership and humanitarianism. This year marks the 21st anniversary of the trophy's founding.

Pounds – a native of Raleigh, North Carolina – enters his second season with the Rebels after transferring to Ole Miss from North Carolina prior to the 2024 season.

In Oxford last fall, Pounds was a mainstay on the offensive line for the Rebels, playing in all 13 games and starting nine at left tackle for the most prolific offense in Ole Miss history in terms of total offense (6,845), yards per play (7.3), passing yards (4,561) and passing yards per game (350.8).

Prior to Ole Miss, Pounds played 18 games in two seasons with the Tar Heels across 2022 and 2023, including eight starts as a sophomore.

Lou Groza Watch List: Lucas Carneiro

Lucas Carneiro has been named to the preseason watch list for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award.

Carneiro is among 30 preseason honorees nationally and one of 11 from the SEC alone for the Lou Groza Award, which is handed out annually to the top place-kicker in college football.

The award is named for Pro Football Hall of Fame kicker Lou "The Toe" Groza, who played 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Groza won four NFL championships with Cleveland and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954.

Although he was an All-Pro offensive lineman as well, Groza ushered in the notion that there should be a place on an NFL roster for a kicker.

Carneiro, a Lou Groza Award semifinalist and first-team All-American last season, brings multiple years of eligibility and experience to the Ole Miss squad.

Serving as Western Kentucky's primary placekicker for the last two years, Carneiro connected on field goals at an 87.1 percent clip for the Hilltoppers.

Carneiro had one of the best seasons for a kicker in WKU history in 2024, earning CUSA Special Teams Player of the Year, finishing the season 18-for-19 on field goal attempts and 41-for-41 on PATs. He was 6-for-6 from 50-plus yards, with two 54-yard makes.

Carneiro's 94.7 percent conversion rate last season ranks second among all returning FBS kickers this fall who attempted at least 15 field goals in 2024.

Carneiro also ranks among nine returning FBS kickers this year who made at least nine field goals from 40 yards out at a perfect 9-of-9 clip.

Carneiro missed his first attempt on the road at Alabama last fall but went on to make each of his next 18 attempts – a Conference USA record.

More Ole Miss News:

Prized Ole Miss Football Wide Receiver Commit 'Locked in' With the Rebels

Ole Miss Football Quarterback Target Seeing Stock Soar After Elite 11 Performance

Ole Miss Women's Basketball Lands in Early Top-25, Named 'Offseason Winners'

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