Ole Miss Football: What Questions will be answered for Lane Kiffin in Spring Ball?
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss football is set to return to the practice field this week on Tuesday, March 18th, to begin another edition of spring ball under head coach Lane Kiffin. Despite finishing last year’s season with a 10-3 record, the Rebels bevy of talented players to the NFL Draft, including Jaxson Dart, Tre Harris, Pooh Paul, Trey Amos, Walter Nolen, Princely Umanmielen, and many others.
Fortunately, Kiffin’s team will be led by highly-touted quarterback Austin Simmons, who will be surrounded by several returning Rebels, an exciting group of freshmen, and the No. 2 transfer portal class in the nation.
Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart has high praise for Austin Simmons at the NFL Combine
“I haven’t seen anyone like him who can spin the ball with his arm talent. He’s going to take a huge step” @JaxsonDart @Lane_Kiffin @austnsimmons pic.twitter.com/bKQxq155Sq
— New Era Prep (@EraPrep) February 28, 2025
Though the talent is evident, this group has unanswered questions at nearly every position. For me, the three biggest areas of curiosity, in no particular order, involve the secondary, running backs, and offensive line.
Secondary
With the departure of Trey Amos, Trey Washington, John Saunders Jr., Isaiah Hamilton, Jadon Canady, Yam Banks, and Louis Moore, you can expect to see a large group of transfers and rising underclassmen fill the void in the secondary.
If I were to make a prediction, I’d expect the following players to get first-team reps this spring: Jaylon Braxton, TJ Banks, and Chris Graves at the top three corner spots, with Kapena Gushiken and Sage Ryan used in the free/strong safety slots. Having Graves and Banks as the only returning Ole Miss players in this part of the field definitely raises some concern, but there’s no doubt that this group has an extremely high ceiling this fall.
Running Backs
Kevin Smith’s running back room is one that’ll be fascinating to keep an eye on this spring. First and foremost, Ole Miss signee Shekai Mills-Knight won’t arrive in Oxford until the summer, and to make matters more difficult, junior college transfer Trey Hall tore his Achilles and will be sidelined for the entire season.
On the bright side, while the Rebels lack a returning starter, they do have a proven SEC running back on the roster in LSU transfer Logan Diggs and he should be the obvious starter. You can also expect to see Mizzou transfer Kewan Lacy involved heavily, alongside Dominique Thomas, battling for the second running back spot as well.
NEWS: Ole Miss RB Logan Diggs is warming up.
He’s full speed and looks ready to go. #OleMiss pic.twitter.com/E3HdDgA8ox
— Brad Logan (@BradLoganCOTE) January 3, 2025
Come late April, when the spring portal cycle opens, it’s almost a guarantee that Kiffin will grab another back for depth and competition in the room.
Offensive Line
The final position group I’m eager to watch unfold is the offensive line, for many reasons. Looking at the tackle spots, I’m confident that returners Jayden Williams and Diego Pounds will be taking first-team reps this week, but I’m also curious who will be protecting Austin Simmons’ blind side. At the same time, I want to acknowledge the importance of having depth at tackle, due to the common occurrence of injuries at this position.
On the interior, I predict that Brycen Sanders will be the new center for Ole Miss with Arkansas transfer Patrick Kutas, UNC-Charlotte transfer PJ Wilkins, and UAB transfer Delano Townsend rotating at the guard spots.
While I’d expect these veterans to be considered first-team players in the spring, Percy Lewis, John Wayne Oliver, Ethan Fields, Jude Foster, and even freshman Devin Harper and Connor Howes could very well find themselves battling for starting spots this summer.
What’s Next?
The Rebel Walk will have you covered with all spring practice content every Tuesday and Thursday including practices, press conferences, and more. Stay tuned for all of your Ole Miss sports needs!
