Carries by Committee? How Will Ole Miss' Backfield Look in 2024?

How will the Ole Miss Rebels structure their running back room in the 2024 season?

Dec 30, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Mississippi Rebels running back Ulysses Bentley IV (24) runs the ball against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The biggest offseason loss for the Ole Miss Rebels came in running back Quinshon Judkins' departure to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the transfer portal. Head coach Lane Kiffin and staff have seemingly attempted to replace Judkins' production in the aggregate, bringing in some key pieces from the transfer portal to help carry the ball in 2024.

Ulysses Bentley IV returns at running back for Ole Miss, but the team also added names like Rashad Amos and Henry Parrish Jr. to the fold, leading some to speculate that the Rebels may take a "running back by committee" approach this fall. Is that accurate? According to Kiffin, he's not really sure or concerned about how the rotation looks during the season.

"I don't really care which way it goes, whether it's one guy is so far ahead that the one guy does it or there's two or there's three because we'll just figure out the best way to win," Kiffin said. "We really don't have a script of 'this is exactly how it's supposed to look.' Our system is different year-in and year-out based on our players, let alone how many play at a spot. I really don't worry that much which way it is."

Bentley is largely expected to be the "starter" in this year's Ole Miss offense after posting 540 rushing yards and four scores during the 2023 season. The former SMU transfer is entering his senior season in Oxford, and he feels a certain responsibility to be a leader not just for the running back room but the team as a whole.

"I don't really look at it as weight on my shoulders," Bentley said. "We've got a lot of guys that have transferred in here, and we've got a lot of weapons on our team. Kiffin is smart enough to utilize all the talent we've got in our room and utilize us and put us in places for us to score.

"I just kind of keep going and keep leading. Make sure the culture is right with our team and make sure that we're a good team to be able to get to our goals."

Bentley came to Oxford from a successful SMU program, but now he finds himself as a key contributor on a national title contender in 2024. When he arrived at Ole Miss prior to the 2022 season, he expected that great things were possibly in store for the Rebels, and the upcoming campaign is evidence of that.

"As soon as I transferred here, I knew that," Bentley said. "Just the team that we had and the coaches we've built for this team, we just take it one day at a time. We all know what our goal is and what we want to get at. Just take it one day at a time."

The Rebels will open their season at home against the FCS Furman Paladins on Aug. 31.