As the craving for college football continues to grow in the Magnolia State, the Preseason AP Top 25 has been released with one Mississippi school being featured.
Coming in at No. 21 is Ole Miss as the Rebels prepare to begin year three under head coach Lane Kiffin. While a level of uncertainty remains over the starting quarterback position, the panel of experts believes that Ole Miss could repeat the success seen in the 2021 season.
Ole Miss will look to USC transfer Jaxson Dart or Starkville native Luke Altmyer to pick up where Matt Corral left off. The Rebels also went to the transfer portal to add Zach Evans (TCU) and Ulysses Bentley IV (SMU) to replace now NFL running backs Jerrion Ealy and Snoop Conner. Senior wide receiver Jonathan Mingo is returning with a vengeance to build from the momentum that was stripped from him last year due to a foot injury.
Defensively, Ole Miss will rely on Cedric Johnson to replace edge rusher Sam Williams who earned a second-team All-American selection. To fill additional position needs as well as to add depth to Chris Partridge’s defensive unit, the Rebels picked up Troy Brown (Central Michigan), Isheem Young (Iowa State), Khari Coleman (TCU), and Jared Ivey (Georgia Tech) from the transfer portal. Senior safety AJ Finley will also looks to build upon the quietly impressive season he had in 2021.
The full top 25, which features six SEC schools, can be viewed below.
- Alabama
- Ohio State
- Georgia
- Clemson
- Notre Dame
- Texas A&M
- Utah
- Michigan
- Oklahoma
- Baylor
- Oregon
- Oklahoma State
- North Carolina State
- USC
- Michigan State
- Miami (FL)
- Pittsburgh
- Wisconsin
- Arkansas
- Kentucky
- Ole Miss
- Wake Forest
- Cincinnati
- Houston
- BYU
