Where Does Ole Miss Rank Nationally Among Offensive Line Units?

The Ole Miss Rebels once again find one of their position groups ranked among the Top 10 nationally, according to one analyst.

Oct 28, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels offensive linemen Micah Pettus (57) and Jeremy James (78). / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Much is said about the skill positions of the Ole Miss Rebels, but what about the men in the trenches? That was the subject of one college football analyst's national rankings this week.

Jesse Simonton of On3 arranged his list of Top 10 offensive line units in college football, and the Rebels came in at the tail end of the list at No. 10. You can read an excerpt from the piece below.

10. Ole Miss

"The Rebels’ high-scoring attack will be propelled by a veteran offensive line featuring a mixture of returning starters (guard Jeremy James, tackle Micah Pettus and center Caleb Warren have a combined 111 starts), some quality internal options (Jayden Williams and Victor Curne) and four transfers including two from Washington’s Joe Moore Award winning OL in 2023."

The transfers from Washington are none other than Julius Buelow and Nate Kalepo, and the Rebels also added the likes of Diego Pounds (North Carolina) and Gerquan Scott (Southern Miss) to help revamp the offensive front.

Many of the headlines in college football center around the skill positions, and Ole Miss is no exception to that trend. Quarterback Jaxson Dart, running backs Henry Parrish Jr. and Ulysses Bentley IV, and others will reside in the backfield this season for the Rebels, but without a stout line, speed and finesse are of little use on offense.

Ole Miss appears to have made a significant (albeit sometimes overlooked) boost to its line this offseason, and that should pay dividends in a season with high stakes for Lane Kiffin and company. The Rebels are hoping to reach the newly-expanded College Football Playoff in 2024, and that journey will begin on Aug. 31 when they play host to the FCS Furman Paladins at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.