TOP 10 REBS: Ole Miss Football Ranked Highly in Another Post-Spring Top 25

The Ole Miss Rebels found themselves in the Top 10 of another set of post-spring rankings this week.

Nov 4, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

The Ole Miss Rebels are preparing for one of the biggest seasons in program history this fall, setting their sights on their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.

Coming off an 11-win season in 2023 (another program-first), this goal seems attainable for Lane Kiffin's group. The Rebels return a ton of talent on the offensive side of the ball, led by quarterback Jaxson Dart, and they have revamped their standing on defense via recruiting and the transfer portal.

Now that spring practice has concluded, opinions regarding the talent level for college football's elite teams are starting to take shape, and Ole Miss found itself ranked highly in another post-spring Top 25 this week, this time from The Athletic. You can view an excerpt from the piece below.

6. Ole Miss

"Lane Kiffin isn’t shy about voicing his concerns with the current state of college football — specifically the transfer portal. But as long as these are the rules, Kiffin is going to take advantage of them, and the 2024 Rebels are yet another case study of what going all-in on the portal can do for a roster. Quarterback Jaxson Dart returns from a team that won 11 games in 2023, and the Rebels added big-time receiver Juice Wells, running backs Logan Diggs and Henry Parrish Jr. (for his second tour in Oxford), edge rusher Princely Umanmielen, defensive tackle Walter Nolen and many others. Can you portal your way to a deep run in the new 12-team College Football Playoff?"

The transfer portal has been (and will continue to be) the primary storyline for Ole Miss teams under Lane Kiffin, but this year's roster is just as much about talent retention than anything else. Names like Dart, Tre Harris, Jordan Watkins and others could have elected to go pro after a storybook run in 2023, but they opted to remain in Oxford. That shouldn't be overlooked.

As mentioned above, however, it would be amiss to blow by the impact the portal has made on this team. The running back position looks to be almost completely revamped after the departure of Quinshon Judkins, and the defensive side of the ball should take a noticeable step forward, if all the pieces remain healthy.

Regardless, this is a big season for Ole Miss, and it truly is going "all-in" for 2024.