Blog Article
Ole Miss 2025 Football Season Preview: Rebels Positioned for Playoff Breakthrough
Ole Miss Football Coach Lane Kiffin has never been closer to his College Football Playoff dream.
After three 10-win seasons in four years and a dominant 52-20 Gator Bowl victory over Duke, the Ole Miss Rebels enter 2025 with the most talented roster in school history. The question is no longer whether they can compete with the SEC elite. The question is whether they can finally break through when it matters most.
The Austin Simmons Era Begins
Jaxson Dart is gone, drafted in the first round by the New York Giants.
Now it’s Austin Simmons’ time to shine. The 6-foot-4 redshirt sophomore completed 19 of 32 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns in limited 2024 action, but those numbers barely scratch the surface of his potential.
What matters more is what Eli Manning recently said at the Manning Passing Academy: “I’ve been impressed so far with what he’s doing.” When an NFL legend gives that kind of endorsement, people should pay attention.
Here’s what separates Simmons from typical backup quarterbacks:
- He reclassified in high school to get to Ole Miss faster
- He’s been living like a college athlete since his sophomore year of high school
- He stepped away from baseball to focus solely on football
- He’s spent the entire offseason organizing extra sessions with receivers and linemen
“There’s a lot of competition, we talk a little smack here and there. We’re just all close,” Simmons said about the quarterback room that now includes Division II transfer Trinidad Chambliss, who threw for 2,925 yards and 26 touchdowns while rushing for 1,019 yards and 25 touchdowns at Ferris State.
The depth is there. The talent is there. The question is execution.
Offensive Explosion Waiting to Happen
The 2024 Ole Miss offense was absolutely ridiculous.
526.5 yards per game. 38.6 points per game. Just one turnover per contest. Those aren’t just good numbers. Those are championship-level numbers.
Sure, they lost Tre Harris (1,030 yards) and Jordan Watkins (906 yards), but Lane Kiffin didn’t become one of college football’s premier offensive minds by relying on any single player. He reloads through the transfer portal like other coaches change their socks.
Enter De’Zhaun Stribling from Oklahoma State and a host of other portal additions who will make defensive coordinators lose sleep. The offensive line returns significant experience, anchored by the addition of Maryland transfer Terez Davis.
But here’s the real secret sauce: Charlie Weis Jr. is still calling plays.
The system remains intact. The tempo remains devastating. And now they have a dual-threat quarterback who can extend plays in ways Dart never could.
Defense Ready to Dominate
Pete Golding’s defense was the real story of 2024, and nobody talked about it enough.
14.4 points allowed per game. 80.5 rushing yards surrendered per contest at 2.3 yards per carry. Those numbers would make Nick Saban jealous.
The core returns intact:
- Linebacker Suntarine Perkins (future NFL first-rounder)
- A secondary reinforced with Clemson transfer Tavoy Feagin
- South Alabama transfer Ricky Fletcher adding depth
- ULM safety Wydett Williams bringing experience
“The interior defensive line, built around Mississippi natives, has become a point of pride and an example of Lane Kiffin’s and Golding’s long-term vision,” according to recent reports. This isn’t just talent acquisition. This is program building.
The defensive improvement under Golding has been remarkable, and 2025 could be the year they become truly elite.
Schedule Sets Up Perfectly
Want to know why Vegas has Ole Miss at 8.5 wins? Look at this schedule.
The Rebels open with four straight home games: Georgia State, at Kentucky, Arkansas, Tulane, and LSU all before their first real road test. That’s not just favorable scheduling. That’s a launching pad for a special season.
The make-or-break stretch comes in October:
- October 18: at Georgia
- October 25: at Oklahoma
These two games will determine whether Ole Miss makes the playoff or watches from home again. The Georgia game is particularly telling since the Rebels dominated the Bulldogs 28-10 in Oxford last year in what became Kiffin’s signature victory.
November brings three consecutive home games against South Carolina, The Citadel, and Florida before the Egg Bowl at Mississippi State. If Ole Miss can survive October, they should cruise to double-digit wins.
National Respect Finally Arrives
CBS Sports put it perfectly: “Lane Kiffin’s work in the transfer portal helped him take Ole Miss to essentially unprecedented levels. His portal-heavy approach carries more risk this year, but he earned the benefit of the doubt when he led the Rebels to the playoff bubble with a squad built largely upon veteran newcomers.”
The national media isn’t just noticing Ole Miss anymore. They’re expecting them to deliver.
Vegas agrees:
- 8.5 win total (behind only Alabama, Georgia, and Texas in SEC)
- Legitimate playoff odds at multiple sportsbooks
- Consistent top-15 preseason rankings across major outlets
This isn’t hype. This is recognition of sustained excellence.
The Kiffin Evolution
Here’s something most people don’t know about Lane Kiffin: he’s been sober for three and a half years.
“There’s a freedom in not feeling like you need a drink to celebrate a big win or get over a tough loss. There’s a freedom of not having to have acceptance of what some guy writes about you or what the fans think of you or if you’re on the hot seat,” Kiffin recently explained.
This isn’t the same coach who clashed with Nick Saban at Alabama or burned bridges at Tennessee. This is a mature, focused leader who has built something special in Oxford.
His job security has never been stronger. The only question isn’t whether Ole Miss might fire him. It’s whether another program might try to steal him.
Reality Check: What Could Go Wrong
Every great story has potential plot holes, and Ole Miss has a few.
Penalties killed them in 2024 (7.2 per game), often in crucial moments. Red-zone execution was problematic in losses, with touchdowns on just 50 percent of trips compared to 75 percent in wins. The secondary, despite portal additions, allowed 60 percent completion rates and 230.8 passing yards per game.
These aren’t talent issues. These are execution issues.
And execution issues can be fixed.
The Recruiting Foundation
Want to know why this success will continue? Look at the 2025 recruiting class.
Ole Miss secured five of Mississippi’s blue-chip prospects, headlined by five-star receiver Caleb Cunningham. The program’s NIL support and on-field results have created a recruiting momentum that rivals anyone in the SEC.
Building with Mississippi natives has become Kiffin’s signature strategy, creating both immediate impact and long-term sustainability.
Bottom Line: Playoff or Bust
This is it for Ole Miss.
All the pieces are in place. The talent is there. The coaching is elite. The schedule is favorable. The expectations are sky-high.
Lane Kiffin has spent five years building toward this moment. Austin Simmons has spent two years preparing for this opportunity. The program has invested millions in NIL and facilities to support this vision.
The expanded 12-team playoff format gives Ole Miss multiple pathways to achieve their goal. No more excuses about limited spots or impossible standards.
Either the Rebels breakthrough in 2025, or they prove they’re just another program that can’t get over the hump when the lights shine brightest.
The stage is set. The talent is there. The only question left is execution.
And in Oxford, that question is about to be answered.
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