Handful of Rebels Cement Their Legacy in Final Game at Ole Miss

Multiple Ole Miss Rebels concluded their college careers with a bang on Thursday night.

Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Jordan Watkins (11) is hoisted up by offensive lineman Reece McIntyre (56) for his touchdown score during the fourth quarter of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. Ole Miss defeated Duke 52-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A growing trend in college football of players opting out of non-playoff bowl games has risen in recent years. However, the Ole Miss Rebels are quite the exception.

The Rebels took on the Duke Blue Devils on Thursday night where they flat out dominated, taking in a 55-20 victory behind a handful of NFL talents taking in their final game with Ole Miss.

Most notable was quarterback Jaxson Dart. The Utah native made it very clear that he intended on playing in this bowl game from the end of the regular season, and like most others who played in this game, just wanted to go out and play one more time under Lane Kiffin.

Dart showed why he is in Mel Kiper’s top 10 quarterback prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft as he was effective all game, totaling 447 yards of offense, with 404 coming through the air. He also recorded four touchdowns and went 27-of-35 on his passing attempts. 

Dart will leave Ole Miss with the most passing yards in school history (10,617) along with 72 touchdowns, cementing himself as one of the all-time great Rebels to pass through this program.

Dart is projected to land anywhere between the third and fifth round of the draft, but he is just one of many players exiting Oxford for the next level.

Joining him is projected sixth round draft pick one-and-done Rebel Juice Wells. The transfer wide receiver brought in the first touchdown of the game on Thursday, going for 32 yards. While this was Wells' only reception of the night, his season totals now round up to 27 catches, 521 yards and five touchdowns.

With Wells expected to head to the draft, his one season in Oxford may not have been one for the ages, but he showed scouts he could be a capable pair of hands at the next level.

Another wideout looking to move on to the NFL is veteran Reb Jordan Watkins. As of now, Watkins is not a projected pick, but the consensus on him is a UDFA (undrafted free agent). Watkins spent three seasons at Ole Miss being a constant deep threat. In his final season in Oxford, he racked up 42 catches, 726 yards and seven touchdown grabs, including four 60-plus-yard touchdowns.

Rounding out the potential draft picks on the offensive side for the night is veteran tight end Cade Prieskorn. He reeled in three catches for 26 yards but showed off his impressive hands with a tough snag over the middle for a first down early on in the game.

Prieskorn has showed his ability in the rushing game all year as well, and Thursday was no different, being an extra lineman and giving the backs an opportunity for more chunk plays.

Despite this high-powered offense, this Rebels team is nothing without some staggering defensive monsters, specifically the line.

In the middle, Ole Miss has projected top 15 pick in Walter Nolen. The transfer nose tackle had a career year in Oxford, earning him consensus All-America honors. While Nolen only snagged one quarterback hurry on the box score on Thursday, he was still a threat, opening up gaps for others like he has all season.

Paired with him is another projected early rounder, edge rusher Princely Umanmielen. The Florida transfer showed out in his only season with Ole Miss, tallying 10.5 sacks in the regular season, putting him second in the SEC. Thursday brought more of the same.

Umanmielen finished the night with three total tackles, including 0.5 TFLs with four quarterback hurries, being a problem all game long.

While all these Rebels hold a place in the fans' hearts, no departure will hit Oxford as hard as the departure of “The Mayor” JJ Pegues.

Since returning to Ole Miss for the final two seasons of his career, Pegues has made an impact on and off the field. On Thursday, the 2024 Chuck Mullins Award recipient represent the No. 38 one final time and recorded one total tackle along with a quarterback hurry. He also had one rush for seven yards and a first down early in the game.

Ole Miss may have had the overall advantage in this game, but these NFL talents not opting out of the Gator Bowl shows the culture that Lane Kiffin has brought to the program. Despite the rocky road of the 2024 season, Ole Miss went out on a high note with this victory and will look to build into its 2025 campaign.