Ole Miss Not Represented in EA Sports' Top 25 Defenses

The disrespect is real for the Ole Miss Rebels, and Pete Golding and his 2024 unit will have some doubters to prove wrong.

Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding signals during football practice in Oxford, Miss. on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. / Bruce Newman/Special to Clarion Ledger /

You know it's talking season when everyone is focused on video game ratings for a game that hasn't dropped yet, and EA Sports did a great job as their lists and videos break the internet as soon as they are released.

EA College Football 25 is one of the most anticipated video games of all time, but after its 10-year hiatus, the release date is less than a month away. The most recent grouping that EA gave us was the Top 25 defenses in the new game, and the Ole Miss Rebels weren't on this list.

There are a couple of ways to look at this. The Rebels don't return tons of production like others on the list, which could be a factor, or EA Sports doesn't think the top five transfer portal class with tons of defensive talent will make a big impact. Or, perhaps, EA is simply in "wait-and-see" mode as defensive coordinator Pete Golding looks to improve on the 2023 campaign in Oxford.

Some questionable teams that got the nod in the rankings include LSU (who was 108th in total defense last season) and Colorado (who came in at No. 130 in 2023). These are a couple of head-scratchers for the Top 25 list as both of these teams were torched by top offenses that matched up against them.

Ole Miss was 70th in total defense last year and retained top talents like Suntarine Perkins, Jared Ivey, JJ Pegues and John Saunders Jr. The Rebels also made waves by picking up more talent on the defensive side of the ball with defensive lineman Walter Nolen and edge rusher Princley Umanmielen from Texas A&M and Florida, respectively.

EA has stated that these rankings are subject to change throughout the season, so we will see if the Rebels can gain more respect as they try to flex their defensive muscle through the 2024 campaign.