LOOK: Ole Miss Football Hosts First Practice in Preparation For Gator Bowl vs. Duke

The Ole Miss Rebels went to work inside the Manning Center on Saturday to prepare for the Gator Bowl on Jan. 2.

Ole Miss defensive back John Saunders Jr. in the Rebels' first practice for the upcoming Gator Bowl. / Ole Miss Athletics/Instagram

The Ole Miss Rebels may have fallen short of a College Football Playoff berth this season, but they are hitting the ground running in preparation for the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against the Duke Blue Devils on Jan. 2.

Ole Miss hosted its first Gator Bowl practice inside the Manning Center on Saturday, and multiple key Rebels were there in participation, seeming to indicate that they will not opt out of the bowl game. You can view Ole Miss' post on Instagram below.

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The players featured in this post are as follows:

QB Jaxson Dart

QB Austin Simmons

DL Walter Nolen

TE Caden Prieskorn

LB Suntarine Perkins

DB John Saunders Jr.

DL JJ Pegues

RB Ulysses Bentley IV

DB Trey Amos

DL Zxavian Harris

Multiple of these players could have opted out of the Gator Bowl, but their participation in this practice seems to indicate that they will be full-go on Jan. 2. Defensive lineman Walter Nolen and running back Ulysses Bentley IV are both interesting names who have seemingly opted to play in this season's bowl game.

Nolen is a projected first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but it seems that coach Lane Kiffin's assessment of his roster last week is accurate so far.

"As of today, we've had conversations with all the guys, and no one has said they're not playing," Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said in a bowl game press conference on Tuesday. "There's still a lot of time between now and the game, but it seems like it's headed in that direction."

Nolen will apparently be joined on the defensive front by Oxford native JJ Pegues. A full-strength Ole Miss roster in this year's bowl game will give the Rebels a strong chance of securing their third 10-win season in four years.

Kickoff in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 2 is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.