Ole Miss' 2024 slate has been considered as very manageable by many. But, the Rebels still play in the SEC, and talent is still plentiful in all areas.
Jared Redding
It's been said over and over that Ole Miss has perhaps its best chance to compete for a national championship since the school last claimed one in 1962.Ole Miss has never claimed an undisputed championship in the program's long history.
The road to get there will look much different than it previously did. Although the Rebels will still have a 12-game schedule like usual, Ole Miss will no longer have to face Alabama or other schedule staples due to the SEC getting rid of East and West Divisions.
Although the top two SEC teams overall will get to compete for the conference title, Ole Miss could still find itself among the new 12-team College Football Playoff field if they get close enough in the eight-game race. However, Ole Miss will still have to go up against some of the best players in the game at multiple positions, regardless of the team they play for. Some of the players Ole Miss will face are expected to be selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, one in which Ole Miss itself should be represented in with a pick or possibly two.
When SEC Media Days roll aroundnext week, the media, including Inside the Rebels, will vote on an All-SEC team and predicted order of finish.
The Rebels will open up this heavily-anticipated 2024 season inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium against Furman. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT and can be seen on SECN+/ESPN+ or listened to on the Ole Miss Radio Network. Ole Miss is expected to be a preseason top-10 team nationally and top-four team in the SEC in a few weeks.
Let's dive into the best players Ole Miss will face the season at each position.This All-Opponent team will be modeled after an All-Conference type of list, with multiple players in each position group.
QUARTERBACK
Carson Beck, Georgia
Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
When it comes to SEC quarterbacks in general, four in particular are at the top of the conversation. Those being Jaxson Dart, Alabama's Jalen Milroe and Texas' Quinn Ewers. However, Georgia's Carson Beck has dominated almost every conversation.
Like Dart, Beck has also had a considerable amount of Heisman talk surrounding him. It's easy to see why. Beck picked up right where Stetson Bennett left off, minus the national championship at season's end. In his first season as a starter, Beck went 13-1. He completed 72 percent of his passes for just shy of 4,000 yards and threw 24 touchdowns framed against six interceptions. He had one of his better outings against Ole Miss last season in Athens, throwing for over 300 with a 192.2 QBR.
Garrett Nussmeier has earned the opportunity to lead the Tigers in 2024 after a few years behind Jayden Daniels. He's a veteran that can boast 1,700 passing yards to his name despite few starts to speak of. He'll have plenty of help, including arguably the best starting offensive line in the conference with future NFL first rounders Will Campbell and Emery Jones (more on them later). Simply put, he could've been a starter for multiple SEC programs and could've possiblythrived. We'll see if that'll actually be the case for LSU this season.
RUNNING BACK
Trevor Etienne, Georgia
Montrell Johnson, Florida
Raheim Sanders, South Carolina
Ole Miss has yet to face Georgia running back Trevor Etienne. The Rebels didn't face him last season in Athens because Etienne was at Florida.
While in Gainesville for two seasons, Etienne combined to carry the ball 249 times for 1,472 yards and ran for 14 touchdowns. He also has a pass-catching back as well, having hauled in 30 passes for 238 yards at Florida. He was considered one of Georgia's biggest gets on the offensive side of the football through the transfer portal.
He may not get as much preseason notoriety as some others around the country, but he's running behind an offensive line that returns four out of five starters and has enough of a supporting cast around him that could make him thrive in a pick-you-poison type scenario.
Ole Miss has yet to face Georgia running back Trevor Etienne. The Rebels didn't face him last season in Athens because Etienne was at Florida.
While in Gainesville for two seasons, Etienne combined to carry the ball 249 times for 1,472 yards and ran for 14 touchdowns. He also has a pass-catching back as well, having hauled in 30 passes for 238 yards at Florida. He was considered one of Georgia's biggest gets on the offensive side of the football through the transfer portal.
Ole Miss doesn't face the best running backs on its schedule this year, but Etienne and Florida's Montreal Johnson Jr. are solid.
Speaking of Johnson, he split carries with Etienne last season andstill had north of 800 yards. Raheim Sanders is a name Ole Miss is pretty familiar with having faced him at Arkansas, but now he's in Columbia. He was named First Team All-SEC not too long ago in 2022, despite a step down last season for multiple reasons.
WIDE RECEIVER
Kyren Lacy, LSU
Eugene Wilson, Florida
Deion Burks, Oklahoma
Barion Brown, Kentucky
Kyren Lacy has been overshadowed by some ridiculous wide receiver talent over his four years ago LSU. Last season, he was overshadowed by not one, but two eventual NFL first round draft picks, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas. With those two gone, expect a breakout season and expect him to be one of the toughest receiving matchups Ole Miss will face this coming season. Because of the depth LSU previously had, he only had a modest 30 catches for 558 yards despite having seven touchdown catches (one of those coming against Ole Miss in Oxford). Do the math, that's 18.6 yards per catch.
Barion Brown is one of the more dynamic SEC players in general, as a special teamer and as a receiver. Going into his third season, he has north of 1,000 career receiving yards. Deion Burks and Eugene Wilson are legitimate candidates to make All-SEC teams next week.
TIGHT END
Mason Taylor, LSU
Benjamin Yurosek, Georgia
One of them is a returning stalwart and the other is a newcomer to SEC football.
Taylor was just one of many viable targets for eventual Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels and through two seasons in Baton Rouge, Taylor hasn't scored many touchdowns, but he's been a reliable target that's been able to produce almost 10 yards a catch. He has a big responsibility this season to help out his new (and familiar) quarterback .
Yurosek has some massive shoes to fill for Brock Bowers, who's off in the NFL. He is a transfer from Stanford and is very seasoned. He previously had 1,342 yards receiving to go along with 104 catches through three seasons. He has the supporting cast around him to fit right in
OFFENSIVE LINE
Will Campbell, LSU
Eli Cox, Kentucky
Emery Jones, LSU
Marques Cox, Kentucky
Tate Ratledge, Georgia
Xavier Truss, Georgia
Earnest Greene, Georgia
Garrett Dellinger, LSU
Here's one of the undeniable truths regarding Ole Miss' 2024 schedule: three of its opponents essentially have the monopoly on the best offensive linemen not just compared the rest of the schedule, but in the entire SEC as well.
LSU in particular has two potential first-rounders in tackles Will Campbell and Emery Jones. LSU returns four of their five starting offensive linemen from last season. They average a height of 6-6 and average 323 pounds a person, including projected starting center DJ Chester. Together, LSU's big uglies paved the way for their team to have the most explosive and productive offense in all of college football. The Tigers averaged 8.4 yards per play and had just not of 7,000 yards for the season.
Campbell, who was projected most recently by ESPN to be potentially the No. 6 overall pick in next year's draft, didn't allow a single sack last season and gave up only 15 QB pressures through 13 games. Opposite of Campbell is Emery Jones Jr., projected to go No. 15 overall, gave up just four sacks all year long.
DEFENSIVE LINE/EDGE
Harold Perkins, LSU
Deone Walker, Kentucky
Landon Jackson, Arkansas
Mykel Williams, Georgia
Nazir Stackhouse, Georgia
Jasheen Davis, Wake Forest
Harold Perkins could be called a linebacker as well, but it's clear that he'll be used more as an edge rusher to maximize his God-given talent.That said, it's hard to deny that Perkins is not only the best defensive player on Ole Miss' schedule, but quite possibly the best defensive player in the entire conference. He's a unanimous projected first-round pick in next year's NFL Draft.Through two seasons, Perkins has racked up 146 tackles and 13 sacks.
Like Perkins,Walker is a near consensus pick to be selected day one in the 2025 NFL Draft.Through two seasons at Kentucky, Walker has totaled 95 tackles and 8.5 sacks. All but one of those sacks came last season.
Jacksonhas picked up 67 tackles during his time at Arkansas with 9.5 sacks. The Hogs don't have a lot of returning starters on defense, but there's some continuity up in the front seven, enough to free up Landon Jackson potentially.
LINEBACKER
Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma
Smael Mondon Jr., Georgia
Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Kentucky
Debo Williams, South Carolina
Greg Penn III, LSU
Nowadays, this coming season in particular, it's a give-or-take thing when putting edge rushers against linebackers with how versatile some players are with skillset. That said, Harold Perkins or Mykel Williams could be linebackers that you could see here as well.
However, Danny Stutsman is considered on of the best returning linebackers nationally after back-to-back 100+ tackle seasons. Some have Stutsman pegged as a potential All-American selection. Debo Williams was as productive as they came last season and Smael Mondon and Jason Dumas-Johnson (former teammates at Georgia) are back in the league and will face the Rebels next season.
SECONDARY
Malaki Starks, Georgia
Billy Bowman, Oklahoma
Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky
Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina
Major Burns, LSU
It will be interesting to see who at Ole Miss ultimately gets a matchup with Georgia junior defensive back Malaki Starks, who can also play in the back end too if needed. As a matter of fact, some are considering him a first round pick in next year's draft as just a safety.
One can expect Starks to be named Preseason All-SEC after SEC Media Day comes and goes. Last season, he was part of that loaded Georgia team and ended up totaling 52 tackles and three picks. In two seasons of college football, he's got about 120 stops with five picks and 14 pass deflections. His ability to use his hands in man-coverage is a treat to watch.
SPECIALIST (K/P)
Trey Smack, Florida (K)
Jeremy Crawshaw, Florida (P)
There are better special teamers elsewhere in the SEC and in the country, but of those on Ole Miss' schedule, this Florida duo make the cut. Placekicker Trey Smack made 81 percent of his field goal attempts and went 6-for-10 from 40-or-more yards, with two coming from 50-plus. He tacked on 80 points for the Gators. On the flip side Crawshaw averaged almost 50 yards a punt and is expected to be one of the SEC's best punters.
