Ole Miss didn’t just lose a head coach when Lane Kiffin left for LSU. The roster churn that followed was massive, with the Rebels adding 29 transfers and seeing 25 players head out the door. Now, with Pete Golding in charge and Ole Miss back in the College Football Playoff conversation after two CFP wins, a handful of those departures have already made their mark elsewhere.
One of the biggest names to follow Kiffin to Baton Rouge was Umanmielen, who led Ole Miss in sacks last season with nine and was a key piece of Golding’s defense. He’s carried that production over with the Tigers. In eight games, he has nearly equaled last year’s sack total, and his stock for the draft is climbing every week as he continues to look like one of the nation’s top pass rushers.
Simmons also made the move after the quarterback competition went the other way and he lost the starting job to Trinidad Chambliss. He landed at Missouri and has put together a strong season.
His first game against Ole Miss was a rough one - he didn’t throw a touchdown pass - but the overall body of work has been impressive enough that plenty of Rebels fans are still pulling for the senior. Stats: 58 total tackles, 3 pass deflections, 0.5 sack, 2 forced fumbles
Dottery, who led Ole Miss in tackles a year ago, was another major loss on the defensive side. He has settled in at LSU and has been just as important there, leading the Tigers in tackles while sticking with the same aggressive style that made him so valuable in Oxford. In LSU’s loss to Ole Miss, he finished with five total tackles.
Missouri has gotten another strong return on a former Rebel in Lee, who stepped into the role of lead receiver and has already topped both his reception and yardage numbers from last season. He’s put together three 100-yard games this year and has been one of the most productive ex-Rebels anywhere. Against Ole Miss, he caught five passes for 62 yards.
Womack is another transfer who has continued to produce. He matched his sack total from last season and ranks fourth on Auburn in sacks this year. That makes his matchup with his old team on Saturday one worth watching closely, especially with Ole Miss needing to account for him off the edge.
And while Ole Miss has its share of former players in key spots elsewhere, this week also brings four former Auburn players onto the Rebels’ side of the field.
Watkins Jr. has become a steady part of LSU’s passing game, recording at least three catches in every game and already putting up two 100-yard outings. The former Ole Miss wideout has dealt with drops, but his first season in Baton Rouge has still been a productive one.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Could Get A Timely Boost Up Front Vs Auburn
Ole Miss got through a bruising night against Texas with one of its biggest concerns at least eased for the moment. Right tackle Terez Davis left the game because of an injury and was held out as a precaution, but the expectation now is that he should be back when the Rebels line up against Auburn. For an offense that wants to stay balanced and keep pressure off the quarterback, getting a veteran piece back on the edge would be a welcome development.
The line held up well enough without Davis to keep Texas off the sack sheet, which gave Ole Miss a chance to survive a physical matchup up front. The run game, though, never quite found the same rhythm, and that is where his return could matter most heading into Auburn. If Davis is indeed ready to go, it gives the Rebels a better shot at shoring up the front and finding a little more consistency where it counts. [Read more 🡒]
Joel Klatt Just Framed LSUs Real Playoff Pressure Point
The latest College Football Playoff projections are another reminder that the SEC logjam could shape the entire bracket, and Ole Miss is right in the middle of it. Fox analyst Joel Klatts projected 12-team field included four league teams, with Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss and LSU all in position to get in, while he pegged Georgia to win the conference and the Rebels to land an at-large berth.
What makes the projection stand out from an Ole Miss perspective is how crowded the race already feels, even before November sorts out the final pecking order. Klatt had LSU finishing 9-3 and still making the playoff, while leaving out Alabama and Kentucky despite what ESPNs Football Power Index says about their odds, which only underscores how thin the margin is for the teams battling around the cutoff line. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Used UAB Night To Welcome Back A Program Figure
An exhibition night against UAB gave Ole Miss a useful early look at its roster, but it also carried a sentimental edge with Andy Kennedy back in Oxford. The former Rebels head coach is now leading the Blazers, and the game offered a chance for the program to recognize a figure who left a lasting mark before the action settled into a more familiar preseason rhythm.
Ole Miss handled the night well on the floor, winning 92-78 behind a balanced effort that included several players in double figures. Budd Clark stood out as the Rebels leader in both points and assists, a promising sign for a team trying to sort out its rotation while also pausing to salute a coach whose name still resonates around the program. [Read more 🡒]