College Football

CFB Top 50, #21: 2025 Ole Miss Rebels

by
Bracket Yard
August 2, 2025

With three weeks to go until college football, the 2025 Ole Miss Rebels bring us to 21st on the CFB Top 50 countdown.

How is it that Lane Kiffin has been in Oxford for six seasons already? It feels like he just got there. It still saddens all of us that we were robbed of so many great Egg Bowl matchups between Kiffin and the late, great Mike Leach.

Nevertheless, Ole Miss shipped their quarterback off to the Meadowlands, so there will be an element of starting over for the Rebels. That does not mean, however, that this team won’t be good, or at least competitive.

2025 Ole Miss Rebels Basic Facts

Head Coach: Lane Kiffin (6th season)

2025 Conference: Southeastern Conference (SEC)

2024 Record: 10-3 (5-3), 4th in SEC

Final Resolution of Last Season: Won Gator Bowl, ranked 11th (AP)

2024 Scoring Offensive Rank: 3rd (38.6)

2024 Scoring Defensive Rank: 2nd (14.4)

Ole Miss Key Additions and Subtractions

IN – Harrison Wallace, wide receiver. Transferred from Penn State.

IN – Princewill Umanmielen, defensive end. Transferred from Nebraska.

OUT – Jaxson Dart, quarterback. Drafted by NY Giants in 1st round of 2025 Draft.

OUT – Walter Nolen, defensive tackle. Drafted by Arizona in 1st round of 2025 Draft.

Best Game on the Schedule in 2025

September 27 vs. LSU. This old matchup might very well feature two teams in contention for playoff bids. The only problem is that this game would have a lot more punch if it were to take place later in the season.

2025 Ole Miss Rebels: Outlook

The list of inbound transfers in Oxford is actually kind of impressive, considering that a lot of them project as starters. Why is this necessary? In total, the Rebels had eight players taken in the NFL Draft this year, including two first-round picks, with numerous others as undrafted free agents. Without putting too fine a point on it, that is a lot of talent which needs replacing.

Austin Simmons, not a transfer, appears to be the successor to Jaxson Dart at quarterback. He’s going to have transfer Harrison Wallace III, amongst others, to whom to throw, while he’ll be joined in the backfield by the likes of running back Logan Diggs, who replaces Henry Parrish, out of eligibility.

Then you look at the defense and you find one of the leaders in the FBS Best Name category, Princewill Umanmielen. All kidding aside, he should contribute to the pass rush. (And he transferred onto the team as his brother, Princely Umanmielen, got drafted. How’s that.) However, on this side of the ball especially, Ole Miss is a new-look team.

So, now you’re probably wondering why this team is our preseason number 21 when much of their nucleus from last year is gone. Ole Miss can probably take this schedule that they’ve got. As SEC schedules go, this is not as bad as it could have been, and their non-conference schedule is of average difficulty. The Rebels get Georgia, Florida, and LSU, amongst others, but they miss Alabama, Auburn, Texas, Texas A&M, and Tennessee. They even have one of their most winnable games late in the season when they might need a breather, and they have a bye in between Florida and the Egg Bowl. Do not be surprised to see them pile up enough wins to be relevant.