The Grove Report

Ole Miss Rebels Selected in On3 Post-Spring Top 25 Rankings

The Ole Miss Rebels were rated as one of the 25 best teams in college football going into the summer.

Ben King

OXFORD, Miss. -- The 2023 college football season is still months away, which means now is the perfect time to examine the newest set of way-too-early Top 25 rankings and where the Ole Miss Rebels fall in them. On3 released post-spring Top 25 rankings on Monday, and the Rebels came in at No. 22. 

Ole Miss is one of five programs from the Southeastern Conference to make the rankings, joining the Georgia Bulldogs (1), LSU Tigers (4), Alabama Crimson Tide (5), and Tennessee Volunteers (12).

Here is the excerpt on Ole Miss being rated No. 22 in the country.

Lane Kiffin flirted with taking the Auburn job this offseason, but he opted to remain in Oxford, where he once again used the portal to reinforce the Rebels’ roster.

Ole Miss brings back one of the best tailbacks in the country in Quinshon Judkins, and it’s reloaded its offensive and defensive lines, as well as the secondary, via the portal. Jaxson Dart seemingly enters the summer with a leg-up in the three-man QB competition that includes transfers Spencer Sanders and Walker Howard.

Former Alabama DC Pete Goulding was brought in to shore up a defense that ranked No. 9 in the SEC in scoring in 2022.

Ole Miss was once again active in the NCAA Transfer Portal this spring, as coach Lane Kiffin reeled in the No. 6 transfer class in the nation, and just about every position on the roster gained extra competition. Kiffin curated a three-way quarterback competition which appears to have lit a fire under returning sophomore signal caller Jaxson Dart. Dart competed with transfer quarterbacks Spencer Sanders (Oklahoma State) and Walker Howard (LSU) throughout spring practices but overall had the best tape from the 2023 Grove Bowl. Kiffin also reloaded his defense with big-ticket transfers and a veteran assistant in Pete Golding, the previous defensive coordinator for the Alabama Crimson Tide. 

Stuck with one of the toughest schedules in college football next fall, Ole Miss will need big seasons out of both Dart and returning tailback Quinshon Judkins if the Rebels want to finish the season in the Top 25. Judkins was recently named to Athlon Sports' 2023 Preseason All-America First Team.

The entire Top 25 rankings can be found below.

  1.  Georgia Bulldogs
  2. Michigan Wolverines
  3. Ohio State Buckeyes
  4. LSU Tigers
  5. Alabama Crimson Tide
  6. USC Trojans
  7. Penn State Nittany Lions
  8. Florida State Seminoles
  9. Texas Longhorns
  10. Washington Huskies
  11. Clemson Tigers
  12. Tennessee Volunteers 
  13. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 
  14. Oregon Ducks
  15. Utah Utes
  16. Kansas State Wildcats
  17. Oregon State Beavers
  18. Wisconsin Badgers 
  19. North Carolina Tar Heels 
  20. Iowa Hawkeyes
  21. TCU Horned Frogs
  22. Ole Miss Rebels 
  23. Tulane Green Wave
  24. Oklahoma Sooners
  25. Louisville Cardinals

You can follow Ben King on Twitter at @BKing_2023.

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Rebels? Click Here.

Follow The Grove Report On Facebook and Twitter.

Want even more Ole Miss Rebels News? Check out the SI.com team page here

Published
Ben King
BEN KING

Home/Football