Three Bold Predictions for Ole Miss Football in 2025
OXFORD, Miss. — It’s been a long off-season, but Ole Miss football is almost here. The first game comes Saturday against Georgia State in the Vaught, and fans are eager to see Lane Kiffin’s 2025 Rebels.
We recently made three player predictions, two of them very possible and one a little bolder. Now, it’s time for my three team predictions. If they come to fruition, there is a good chance the Rebels could be a playoff team in 2025.
Here are my three team predictions for the new season.
3,000 team rushing yards
I know, I know….last season, Lane Kiffin’s Rebels experienced a down year when it came to running the ball, as they seemed to struggle to find consistency at the position. But they’ve assembled a running back room via the portal, recruiting and returnees that could very well hit that mark.
Like many positions, Ole Miss will see plenty of new faces in the running back room, and that starts with transfer Kewan Lacy, a strong performer during fall camp, and veteran Logan Diggs, who, despite being at the program for 2024, will feel like a new player after missing all but one game through injury in 2024.
“Kewan (Lacy) coming in has been electric, done some really good things,” Kiffin explained in a recent fall camp press conference.
“I think it’s a very competitive group, a group that can run and catch and pass protect. And Logan Diggs has done a good job. And the newcomers filtering in there has made it really competitive and a lot to look at.”
Lane Kiffin on the RB room
It was back in the 2022 season when the Rebels last notched over 3,000 rushing yards, thanks to Quinshon Judkins, Zach Evans and QB Jaxson Dart.
With Diggs and Lacy, along with Damien Taylor, Domonique Thomas and freshman Shekai Mills-Knight, this bunch of running backs can produce much better stats than last season. On top of that, Kiffin may bring in transfer quarterback Trinidad Chambliss to play, a productive dual-threat option. The Rebels also recently added Grenada (Miss). and Northwest Community College running back Macaleb Taylor, who finished with more than 2,700 rushing yards in his senior year at Grenada High School last season—to go with his 40 touchdowns.
Last season, when the ground game did not record the number of yards Kiffin was used to, the Rebels netted 2,285 yards on 500 attempts, a 4.6 yard per carry average. In 2023, they finished with a net of 2,294 on 535 rushes, a 4.2 yard per carry average. In the aforementioned 2022, Ole Miss tallied 3,336 on 614 attempts, a 5.4 yard per attempt.
So, while recent history dictates it may be a challenge, I think Ole Miss’ running back room, barring any injuries, will have a shot at 3,000 yards.
Defense records 25+ turnovers
The Ole Miss defense has recorded some very good seasons when it comes to turnovers, hitting double-digit figures in both interceptions and fumble recoveries in recent seasons. Can they go a step forward and surpass 30 total turnovers in one season?
Last season, Ole Miss notched 23 total turnovers — and that was with a defensive line that has four players off it now playing in the NFL.
It’s not an easy target, but they have added some defensive backs via the transfer portal this off-season who have the potential to be dominant. Jaylon Braxton, Ricky Fletcher, Sage Ryan and Antonio Kite are all names that spring to mind. On the back end of the defense, and alongside the front seven, there is a great deal of potential.
If they can surpass 25, that is going to put the Rebels in good stead to win a lot of football games.
Back-to-back seasons with 50+ team sacks
Ole Miss lost Princely Umanmielen, Walter Nolen, Jared Ivey and JJ Pegues to the NFL, part of a unit that recorded 52 sacks in 2024. On the surface, one might think it next to impossible to equal that performance given those departures.
But don’t count defensive coordinator Pete Golding as one who thinks that way. In fact, he believes they can be just as good.
“What I’m most excited about is I don’t think we’re going to fall down from where we were from the front six standpoint. We’ve got a really talented group. 90 percent of that group was already in that room, so they know the expectations.”
Pete Golding on the d-line
The Rebels still have Suntarine Perkins, who accounted for 10.5 of last season’s sacks. In addition to the returning linemen, they have also added two edge rushers in Princewill Umanmielen and Da’Shawn Womack from the transfer portal. Neither has had the chance to show their abilities at their previous schools, but the Ole Miss staff loves what they can bring to the team.
Alongside Zxavian Harris, Jamarious Brown, and plenty of talented sophomores and freshmen, this team has the capabilities of surpassing 50 sacks again. If that is the case, opposing teams are going to struggle to score in games.
Up Next
With kickoff for the season opener set for 6:45 p.m. this Saturday, we will keep an eye out to see how the Rebels do in each of these areas. Hotty Toddy!
Jordan Merritt
Jordan is a freelance writer who covers sports, games, and more. A United Kingdom native, he covers everything Ole Miss for The Rebel Walk. He has written for several publications, including Athlon Sports, On SI, Fansided, and others. Away from writing, he loves spending time with his family and watching films and TV series.
