Ole Miss’ offense has plenty of headline names, but the real swing piece might be the five men up front.
Kewan Lacy and Trinidad Chambliss are the stars everybody talks about, yet the Rebels’ hopes in 2025 may come down to whether their offensive line can keep opening the kind of lanes that made last season’s ground game hum. Ole Miss is bringing back three starters who helped pave the way, and it also added two tackles through the portal. That combination gives the Rebels a front five that could shape the entire season.
The interior is set with Brycen Sanders at center and Delano Townsend and Patrick Kutas at guard. Those three were a big reason Ole Miss finished sixth in the SEC in rushing last year at 176 yards per game. They were especially effective for Lacy, who averaged 5.1 yards per carry and did a lot of his damage between the tackles.
That inside push showed up in one of the season’s most memorable moments: Lacy’s 73-yard touchdown run to open the second quarter of last year’s VRBO Fiesta Bowl. Sanders and Townsend helped spring it by double-teaming the nose tackle, then Townsend climbed to the second level and took on the middle linebacker. Once that block landed, the rest was a race Ole Miss won easily.
If the Rebels are going to recreate plays like that in big postseason moments, those three interior linemen will have to keep doing the dirty work.
The tackle spots bring a different look. Carius Curne arrives as a sophomore transfer from LSU after starting five games and appearing in eight as a true freshman.
He played both tackle positions for the Tigers and looks like a strong candidate to start at left tackle. That matters for Chambliss, who can extend plays with his legs but still needs help when pressure arrives without warning.
Curne could give him that protection on the blind side and help create room on speed options and half-back tosses.
On the other side, Terez Davis is finally getting his chance. He transferred before the 2025 season after spending time at Maryland, where he started two games and played in 10. Ole Miss will need him to hold up in pass protection and seal the edge on outside runs.
New offensive coordinator John David Baker has already said he wants Ole Miss to lean more on the run than it did a year ago. With this line in place, that plan has a real chance to work. And if it does, the Rebels’ path to an SEC championship and a national title trophy gets a lot more believable.
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