With fall camp starting soon, the Ole Miss Rebels’ 2024 season is just weeks away and is arguably the biggest in school history. Season tickets are sold out, and The Grove will soon be full of die-hard fans ready to cheer on the Rebels.
Inside the Manning Center, players and coaches alike are trying to block out the “rat poison” and focus on their jobs. While the players, coaches and staff understand the opportunity in front of them, Ole Miss has never really been in the position it is today. The national media believes the Rebels of 2024 are primed to make a run at not only an SEC crown but the national championship.
While the rat poison is everywhere, it’s time to create some and give out three bold predictions for the 2024 Ole Miss football season.
1. Jordan Watkins leads the team in receiving yards.
Watkins has been one of Jaxson Dart’s most consistent targets and has also been one of the more underrated pass catchers in the SEC during his time in Oxford. Watkins was a monster and racked up over 700 yards in the 2023 campaign.
With Tre Harris returning and the addition of Juice Wells, this prediction could be a little too bold, but with those guys garnering more attention, it should leave Watkins with tons of one-on-one coverage. Watkins also has great speed, and with green grass ahead of him, he is very hard to bring down. You can get this guy the ball in lots of different ways, and he will expose defenses with his mix of physicality and speed.
2. Ole Miss wins the SEC Championship.
Can it get any more bold than this? Ole Miss has never been to Atlanta for the SEC title game, but 2024 could be different. The Rebels have arguably one of the top quarterbacks in the nation paired with one of the deepest wide receiver units in the country, and if the defense can take that next step thanks to a haul in the portal, the Rebels will be one of the best teams in college football.
With an SEC Championship win, the Rebels would be a Top 4 seed and earn a first-round bye in the CFP. Another thing to think about is if the Rebels win the SEC, they could be in contention for the top seed, depending on how their regular season plays out.
3. Ole Miss has four players rush for more than 600 yards.
It is no secret that the Rebels’ rushing attack of 2024 won’t look like the one of 2023. Quinshon Judkins had been the workhorse back for the Rebels in 2022 and 2023, but you don’t have to look too far in the past to see that the Rebels are built to use multiple backs.
In 2021, the Rebels had four guys rush for over 500 yards: Jerrion Ealy, Snoop Conner, Matt Corral and Henry Parrish Jr. Head coach Lane Kiffin understands how to build a running back room and had a big influence at Alabama when it seemed to churn out NFL-ready backs seemingly every season.
The Rebels have built that 2021 backfield again in the form of Ulssyes Bently, Henry Parrish and Rashad Amos. For the fourth guy, I think you have to go to Jaxson Dart. Dart is a physical runner, and his health was a concern towards the back half of 2023, but his legs and mobility are a huge part of his game.
In 2022, Dart rushed for over 600 yards, but that number went down to just over 300 in 2023. It might be a stretch to say that he could eclipse that 600-yard mark again, but these are bold predictions at the end of the day.
Source link : https://www.si.com/college/olemiss/football/three-bold-predictions-for-ole-miss-football-in-2024-01j3xwdjrgec
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Publish date : 2024-07-28 21:02:52
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