Defensive Transfers Highlight New-Look Ole Miss Rebels Defense in 2023

Ole Miss is replacing 26 letter-winners and eight starters on defense from a season ago.

OXFORD, Miss. -- Lane Kiffin is called the "Portal King" for a reason.

In the modern era of college football, the transfer portal has drastically changed how teams build their rosters, often experiencing a large amount of turnover from one year to the next. Although Kiffin has been critical of the current system surrounding NIL and the portal, his Ole Miss Rebels have been one of the biggest beneficiaries from transfer talent in recent seasons.

In 2023, that talent will be paramount on the defensive side of the ball.

Ole Miss does have some returning veteran talent on defense, including Cedric Johnson (DE) and Deantre Prince (DB) who represented the team at SEC Media Days, but it also added a host of transfers over the offseason to fill some holes. To top it all off, the Rebels are faced with learning a new system under recently-hired defensive coordinator Pete Golding.

The emphasis on the transfer portal may not be "ideal" for Kiffin & Co., but it has paid off in certain areas. For instance, three of the quarterbacks on Ole Miss' roster this fall began their collegiate career at a different school. There's also the impact on defense (who can forget linebacker Chance Campbell's success in the 2021 season?). 

Still, it's an adjustment for everyone, especially the coaches like Kiffin who began his coaching career in 1997 at Fresno State, a very different era of college football.

"I always say you can't follow the book that was written 100 years ago on how to coach," Kiffin said on Wednesday following the first practice of fall camp. "You have to evolve and adjust. Well, this book has dramatically changed. I looked out there at one point and the unit that was out there, it's so new especially on that side of ball. There were a lot of defensive players out there, and only one signed here out of high school. It is what it is."

Kiffin has given the keys of the defense to Golding who joined the Rebels this offseason after holding the same position with the Alabama Crimson Tide since 2018. The head coach believes his defense is in good hands, even with so many new faces on the field.

"Pete (Golding) is really smart, great recruiter, high energy," Kiffin said. "I really like being around him. He's still young, but what he brings to the guys (is) about coaching really great players, and (he) coaches the coaches really well. Sometimes young guys struggle to do that, they're just scheme guys. I've been really impressed by him as with everyone who's worked with him."

And just because Ole Miss has a load of transfers on the defensive side of the ball doesn't mean they're inexperienced. Names like Joshua Harris (NC State), Isaac Ukwu (James Madison), Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste (UCF) and Monty Montgomery (Louisville) bring experience from their former schools.

Were they familiar with Pete Golding's defensive scheme? No, but neither was much of the team prior to the spring. Perhaps one of the biggest concerns for the Rebels' defense (and team as a whole) doesn't come down to Xs and Os, but centers on gelling as a team with so many new faces. That's what Lane Kiffin believes, anyway.

"That's an ongoing challenge for us to bring people along, and that was a big message in the team meeting last night," Kiffin said. "You have to do work to come together, this isn't an individual sport. You have to do a lot of work off the field with each other to build trust and prepare."

The Rebels will participate in fall camp throughout the month of August before opening their 2023 season at home against the Mercer Bears on Sept. 2.

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You can follow John Macon on Twitter at @JMakeGillespie.

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