Ole Miss Football Crystal Ball: Predicting Which Transfers Will Shine in 2025

Lane Kiffin and Co. are expecting multiple newcomers to contribute, make an impact this upcoming season.

Courtesy of Princewill Umanmielen's Instagram.

Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels have reconstructed the roster in Oxford this offseason after signing the No. 1 Transfer Portal Class in America.

After adding multiple weapons via the free agent market, the program in the Magnolia State is beginning to see their newcomers cruise up the depth chart ahead of the 2025 season.

Now, with Week 4 of Fall Camp set to begin, which transfers can make an immediate impact for the program?

The Instant Impact Transfers: Five Names to Know

No. 1: EDGE Princewill Umanmielen

The Nebraska Cornhuskers transfer made his way to the Magnolia State this offseason where he's quickly carving out a role within the defense.

Over his two years at Nebraska, Umanmielen registered 35 total tackles, seven tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

Heading into the 2025 season, the veteran will look to help the Rebels recover from the loss of his brother [Princely Umanmielen] to the professional ranks this offseason.

Courtesy of Princewill Umanmielen's Instagram.

“We’re just taking it game by game and trying to go 1-0, attacking the day,” Umanmielen said this offseason. “Just taking it day by day. Stack days. Got to win every day. Can’t take days off because it’s going to come back and bite me in the a**."

For the first-year Rebel, he understands the depth in the trenches for the program with each player flaunting a different "bag" heading into the year.

“I feel like there’s a variety of things that we can all do,” Umanmielen said. “Everybody got different bags, you know? It’s just deep. We can do whatever, and everybody’s versatile, everybody can play different positions. So that’s good.

"We was doing a lot of things during the summer that was working on the details of our pass rush and other things well.”

No. 2: WR De'Zhaun Stribling

Stribling was rated as a three-star prospect out of high school prior to committing to Washington State in 2021.

During his two years in Pullman, he reeled in 95 catches for 1,073 yards and 10 touchdowns before transferring to Oklahoma State ahead of the 2023 offseason.

Despite suffering a season-ending injury four games into the 2023 season, Stribling caught 66 passes for 1,080 yards and seven touchdowns across his two-year tenure in Stillwater with the Cowboys.

Stribling has been a productive receiver at both stops with Washington State and Oklahoma State with the chance to carry his momentum in Oxford.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder is a speedster that can take the top off of the defense at any moment with his quick, twitchy footwork.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

No. 3: CB Antonio Kite

Ole Miss does not have a single returning piece of the defensive backfield from a season ago, but one newcomer that is generating significant buzz is former Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers transfer Antonio Kite.

According to multiple reports, Kite has been a critical component to the program's secondary across Fall Camp in the Magnolia State.

“It’s been great,” Kite said after practice this week. “My teammates are doing a great job just welcoming me in. I’m just trying to grind every day and get better with my teammates. I love coach [Lane] Kiffin as a guy. He pushes his players. I just wanted to be around a guy like that.”

Kite has been running with the first-team during Fall Camp where he's been presented with an opportunity to make an instant impact in 2025 after a stint with Auburn.

Courtesy of Antonio Kite's Instagram.

No. 4: TE Caleb Odom

The versatile offensive weapon has been utilized as both a tight end and wide receiver with his impressive catch radius as a 6-foot-5, 215-pounder.

Now, according to the Ole Miss roster, the Alabama Crimson Tide transfer has officially made the move to tight end ahead of the 2025 season.

Ole Miss offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. broke down what he's seen from Odom and what he can provide the program this season.

“I think he’s done a great job with it. That’s been a really good move for him. I think it really highlights the things that he does really well of being a bigger body slot, being able to be in the core to do certain things in the run game, being able to flex out as the single receiver," Weis said.

"It allows us to be a lot more multiple with him compared to him just sticking as an outside receiver, kind of like he played in the spring where, hey, he’s just standing out there. There’s some things that he certainly does well at that, but maybe some other things that don’t use his strengths to the best of his ability.

"I think putting him at tight end, you’re able to get really creative, do a whole bunch of things, and it allows us to utilize more personnel groupings, too. In some groups he may be a slot, in some groups he may be a true tight end, in some groups he may be an outside receiver. That’s been a very interesting move for us, and I’m excited to see where that goes.”

Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

No. 5: WR Deuce Alexander

Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels reeled in Wake Forest wide receiver transfer Deuce Alexander in December after revealing a commitment to the program.

The 6-foot, 180-pounder out of Douglas County (Ga.) enjoyed a breakout season under Dave Clawson across the 2024 campaign with the Demon Deacons.

As a redshirt freshman, Alexander logged 36 catches for 400 yards and two touchdowns where he averaged 11.1 yards per catch.

Now, he's flashing in Fall Camp with the ability to take his game to the next level with the Ole Miss program.

What led him to Oxford?

“The coaching staff, just to begin with, and then the history of the offense and the receivers they’ve put in the NFL,” Alexander said. “That’s my end goal: to go to the league, and they have a lot of guys there.”

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