Ole Miss Defensive Line Lands In On3's Top 10 Units For 2024

The Ole Miss Rebels have a compelling roster heading into 2024, and it starts with the trenches.

Sep 16, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive linemen JJ Pegues (89) tackles | Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

At this point, everyone knows Ole Miss should compete for a College Football Playoff berth because of its offense. Headlined by quarterback Jackson Dart, the Rebels are built to win 10-plus games during the regular season.

What about the defense? Will it carry its weight over in 2024? According to On3 Sports, yes.

At least the defensive line will.

The publication recently released its top 10 defensive lines heading into the offseason, with Ole Miss appearing at No. 6. On3 believes the Rebels should be in an exceptional position to succeed given the recent additions of Texas A&M transfer Walter Nolen and Princely Umanmielen.

Pete Golding has an embarrassment of riches in the trenches this season, as Ole Miss’ defensive line features a combination of returnees and star transfer additions. The Rebels return end Jared Ivy, tackle JJ Pegues and end/edge Suntarine Perkins — who combined for 25 tackles for loss last season — while bringing in Florida pass rusher Princely Umanmielen and Texas A&M tackle Walter Nolen — two potential Top 50 picks in the NFL Draft next season. Nolen is a former 5-star who is the No. 2 overall prospect in the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings, while Umanmielen had 7.0 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss last season. The Rebels have never had this much defensive line talent as it hopes to make a run to the College Football Playoff in 2024.

On3's Jesse Simonton

Ivey and Pegues' return emulated a similar approach to that of Jaxson Dart, Tre Harris and Caden Prieskorn. All three offensive talents knew they wanted to accomplish more than an 11-win season before departing for the professional level, thus electing to head back to Oxford.

Dec 30, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive end Jared Ivey (15) celebrates after a | Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The additions of Umanmielen, who led the Gators in tackles for loss (11.5) and sacks (7.0) and Nolen (9.5 tackles for loss, 4.0) sacks only bolsters the success rate for more stability up front. Last season, Ole Miss struggled to stop the run against Alabama and Georgia, leading to another season without a trip to the SEC Championship.

The Rebels return to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to kickstart the 2024 season on Aug. 31 against FCS Furman.