Three Ole Miss Offensive Players Earn Preseason All-SEC Honors

Jaxson Dart did not make the cut, but two Ole Miss Rebels weapons did land in the All-SEC rankings.

Jul 15, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Ole Miss receiver Tre Harris speaking at Omni Dallas Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports

Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart might be the top passer in the SEC this fall, but he's going to have to earn the voters' respect.

The best way to do so? Lead the conference in passing yards and passing touchdowns. The good news for the third-year starter is that two weapons will be highly regarded in the public eyes.

Media members from SEC Media Days named receiver Tre Harris and tight end Caden Prieskorn to the preseason first-team offense. Running back Ulysses Bentley IV was named to the third team.

Harris, who last season transferred over from Louisiana Tech, should be the go-to target for Dart once more. He made headlines with his four-touchdown outing against FCS Mercer and finished with 985 receiving yards on the season.

Harris likely would have made first-team All-SEC and surpassed the 1,000-yard marker last season in Oxford if not for a knee injury suffered in Week 2's win over Tulane. Fully healthy, he's ready to help the Rebels reach the College Football Playoff.

“We understand there’s a lot of expectations on us this year,” Harris told reporters in Dallas on Monday. “But at the end of the day we understand that everything that we worry about, we can only control what we can control. And we all are just worried about the guys inside of the facility. We understand that each and every day we have to get better. That’s the main goal trying to get better every single day and trying to get the best possible expectations as possible."

Prieskorn, a transfer from Memphis, missed time early in the season due to injury, but made up for it down the stretch. Against Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl, he hauled in a 26-yard touchdown reception from Dart in the fourth quarter.

A month later in the Peach Bowl, Dart threw two touchdown passes to his tight end. Prieskorn finished with a season-high 10 catches for 136 yards and two scores.

Bentley, who is expected to replace former All-SEC runner Quinshon Judkins at running back, is coming off a promising season in Oxford. In 13 games, he rushed for 540 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 5.4 yards per rush attempt.

Media members picked Ole Miss to finish fourth in the 16-team SEC, the conference announced on Friday following SEC Media Days. The Rebels earned 2,783 points, 108 shy of third-place Alabama.

Georgia was picked to win the regular season SEC title, receiving 3,330 points. Fresh off its first Big 12 title since 2009, Texas was picked to finish as runner-up with 3,041 points. The Bulldogs were heavy favorites to win the SEC Championship in Atlanta over the Longhorns.

The Rebels open the season at home on Aug. 31 against FCS Furman.