Back to Business: Rebels Begin 2025 Camp Chasing More History

OXFORD, Miss. – (Release) The Ole Miss football team is back on the practice fields preparing for the 2025 season at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

Head coach Lane Kiffin and numerous players held a local media day on Tuesday to kick off fall camp.

Standard is Set

Coming off its third 10-win season in a four-year span, and with back-to-back bowl victories, Ole Miss football is ready to reclaim its spot among the SEC’s top teams. Rebel fans are ready as well, as evidenced by a second consecutive season-ticket sellout, and it’s all coming to Oxford in just one month.

“I think we’ve created a standard here of expectations and what we’ve done,” Kiffin said. “I do take a lot of pride in that with our staff and our former players and what was done, and our staff all coming back for this season. I was very excited because there’s so much player turnover. I said at media day, to be in a position where we have these attendance records being set, sold out season tickets already, three 10-win seasons in the last four years, and three top-12 finishes. That’s the standard we’ve created, the expectation we have.”

Ole Miss had eight players selected in the NFL Draft, its most since the league switched to a seven-round format in 1994, and its second most in modern NFL history, since the AFL/NFL merger in 1967. While the Rebels will have to replace a wealth of talent, Kiffin believes the incoming crop knows exactly what’s expected.

“We’ve been talking to them a lot about that,” Kiffin said. “That’s hopefully why they came here, understanding what we’ve been able to achieve and the level we expect to play at. There’s going to be a lot of competition in this camp, as always.”

stribcity 🤙@Dezhaunthegreat x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/W1ipZTsgMO

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) July 29, 2025

Receivers in Motion

Ole Miss must replace four of its top five receivers from last season, and there are plenty of candidates to catch passes from Austin Simmons, including Alabama transfer Caleb Odom. At 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, Odom has spent some time at tight end with Luke Hasz out due to injury. Kiffin doesn’t yet know how much Odom will figure into the mix at tight end alongside Dae’Quan Wright, but he is optimistic about the situation.

“I can’t totally predict that. He is very unique in what he can do,” Kiffin said. “He’s got a chance to be a weapon there. Positionally, our best depth on our roster is probably at receiver.”

As Kiffin mentioned, Ole Miss is loaded at receiver with De’Zhaun Stribling, Harrison Wallace III, Traylon Ray, Deuce Alexander as well as true freshman Caleb Cunningham and others, all showing out through spring and now early in fall camp.

If Odom can master both spots, it’ll make the pass-catching group all the more dangerous.

“We talk about obstacles in the way or things that seem like issues at the time but end up being positive things,” Kiffin said. “Obviously you don’t want somebody injured, but with that, the numbers outside vs. tight end spot, when we get Luke back, we’ll be even more dangerous with everyone playing all those spots.”

Pass Happy

Normally, when a team has to replace the First Team All-SEC quarterback, it’s all the talk of fall camp, perhaps the team’s biggest question mark. But for Ole Miss, Austin Simmons has wasted no time assuming the role left vacant by Jaxson Dart, leaving just more specific questions surrounding the new QB, like what exactly the offense will look like.

“That’s kind of a schematical question but I’m ok saying this: I wouldn’t picture him being involved in a lot of quarterback runs,” Kiffin said.

While Simmons might not tuck and run as much as Dart did, he could be leading a passing game just as effectively as his predecessor. Already, Simmons is working on building a rapport with his talented new receiver group.

“They’ve had a good offseason. They were here in the spring. A lot of those receivers have had good careers already. Those guys have done a really good job together,” Kiffin said. “It very well could be the strength of our team.”

stribcity 🤙@Dezhaunthegreat x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/W1ipZTsgMO

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) July 29, 2025