Projecting Ole Miss' Defensive Depth Chart Entering Game 1 Prep Week

Which players might defensive coordinator Pete Golding and company lean on this season?

Oct 28, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive coorinator Pete Golding watches from the sidelines during the first half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

The Ole Miss Rebels wrap up fall camp and head into game week on Monday, meaning we are just one Saturday away from college football in Oxford. The Rebels' defense has been a talking point all offseason, and even head coach Lane Kiffin can't help but point out the obvious: this defensive line is going to be a problem for opposing offenses.

While at Ole Miss, defensive coordinator Pete Golding has run multiple schemes since he likes his defense to be versatile, but with the group they have up front, I would expect the Rebels to flex their strengths in a 4-2-5 look. Ole Miss also seems to like the group it has in the secondary and how experienced they are all over the field.

With that being said, let's take our best guess at a starting defense for the Rebels against Furman on Aug. 31.

READ MORE: Projecting Ole Miss' Offensive Depth Chart Entering Game 1 Prep Week

Cornerback:

Trey Amos

Two-Deep: Chris Graves Jr.

Cornerback:

Isaiah Hamilton

Two-Deep: Brandon Turnage/Cedrick Beavers

Strong Safety:

Yam Banks

Two-Deep: Key Lawrence

Free Safety:

John Saunders Jr.

Two Deep: Key Lawrence

Nickel:

Trey Washington

Two Deep: Louis Moore

Pete Golding seems to have found a strong group in the secondary. Trey Amos stood out as a key role player for Nick Saban and Alabama in 2023 and flashed in the SEC Championship for the Tide. Isaiah Hamilton is also expected to be a big-time player for the Rebels and had a knack for the football during his time at Houston.

Cedrick Beavers and Brandon Turnage will be big-time depth pieces and should be seeing the field, especially early. Turnage has more experience, but Beavers has a lot of tools.

Safety returners like Trey Washington and John Saunders lead the way, but Yam Banks has looked excellent in practice, and Golding seems excited for a guy like Banks to fill a hole in this secondary.

Key Lawrence and Louis Moore are also guys to watch who could break into that rotation and get lots of reps in some of those September matchups.

Defensive end:

Princely Umanmielen

Two Deep: Suntarine Perkins

Defensive Tackle:

JJ Pegues

Two Deep: Xavian Harris/William Echoles

Defensive Tackle:

Walter Nolen

Two Deep: Jamarious Brown

Defensive End:

Jared Ivey

Two Deep: Chris Hardie/Kam Franklin

This defensive line is scary good. The mix of size, quickness and punch is the reason these guys are dominating for the most part in fall camp.

Walter Nolen, JJ Pegues, Princely Umanmielen and Jared Ivey are the headliners, but what sets this group apart is the quality depth the Rebels have, a consistent theme within this defense.

Guys to watch are Jamarious Brown and Xavian Harris. Brown is a redshirt freshman who has been dominating in camp, and Harris has been a consistent depth piece for the Rebels going back to 2022 but has struggled with some off-the-field matters recently.

Chris Hardie is another veteran from the Sun-Belt who is paired with a blue chip freshman Kam Franklin who could be in line to see a good amount of snaps during the beginning half of the year and rotate, maybe in pass rush situations. Williams Echoles is another big body up the middle for the team and another big-time get in the 2023 class that added tons of talent up front on the D-line.

Linebacker:

TJ Dudley

Two Deep: Pooh Paul

Linebacker:

Khari Coleman

Two Deep: Raymond Collins

The Rebels are also deep at linebacker with Pooh Paul, TJ Dudley and Khari Coleman as the headliners in that room.

Pooh Paul looks like a beast despite dealing with an injury, but he was cleared to practice this week. Dudley came on the scene last year in the Peach Bowl after flashing on scout team defense for most of the year, and Khari Coleman has played a lot of football and was a big contributor at the linebacker spot in 2023.

Raymond Collins will be a big depth piece for this unit as he continues to learn this system under Pete Golding.