Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin, quarterback Jaxson Dart, receiver Tre Harris, and EDGE rusher Jared Ivey will represent the program in Dallas for SEC Media Days this week.
Kiffin had his best season as head coach last year, leading the Rebels to an 11-2 record, a Peach Bowl win, and a No. 9 ranking at the end of the year.
With the Rebels sights set on a conference championship, what are some of the biggest questions Kiffin will face at SEC Media Days?
Three Most Significant Questions for Lane Kiffin at SEC Media Days
1) Can Jaxson Dart Compete for the Heisman Trophy?
While other SEC quarterbacks like Georgia’s Carson Beck and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe are the talk of the conference, Dart has been a relative afterthought despite his success. In two seasons, he’s started 25 games with 6,338 yards passing, 43 TDs, and 16 picks.
The Rebels are 19-7 the last two seasons with Dart behind center and had their first 11-win season in program history last year. Now a senior with two full seasons under his belt in Oxford, Dart’s athletic ceiling is higher than it has ever been. Is that enough to take the game’s grandest accolade?
2) Who Will Replace Quinshon Judkins?
Quinshon Judkins played a big role in the Rebels’ success last season, rumbling for 1,151 yards and 17 TDs. Judkins left Oxford for Columbus to join the Ohio State Buckeyes, leaving Kiffin to replace the All-SEC First Team back.
As is customary in the current climate of college football, Kiffin searched the transfer portal for a replacement, coming back with four options: LSU’s Logan Diggs, Miami (Fl) standout Henry Parrish, Miami (OH) rusher Rashad Amos, and Georgia State’s Domonique Thomas.
Replacement by committee is a likely scenario here, with Judkins’ production a tall order to expect one player to replicate.
3) What Does the Addition of Texas and Oklahoma Mean for the Rebels?
The college football landscape continues to evolve, with realignment taking hold of seemingly every program in the country. The SEC is now 16 teams strong, with Texas and Oklahoma making an already powerful conference even more formidable this season.
Ole Miss hasn’t won a conference championship since 1962 but is as close as ever despite dwelling in the same conference as the game’s toughest opponents.
Already competing with the likes of Georgia and Alabama, now the Rebels have two more juggernauts standing in their way. While growth is paramount for the conference, where does it leave Ole Miss in the overall standings?
SEC Media Days Schedule: Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss Head Coach
- Date: Monday, July 15
- Time: 10:00 a.m. ET
- How to watch: SEC Network+
The offseason optimism is high for Kiffin and the Rebels after achieving the first 11-win season last fall and returning the signal-caller who got them there with Dart.
Replacing the production of Judkins is one of many obstacles the Rebels will face, along with adapting to its morphed habitat due to conference realignment.
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