Expectations are high for Ole Miss going into the 2025 season, with head coach Lane Kiffin hoping to get to the College Football Playoff. At the same time, there is some uncertainty around Ole Miss going into the season.
In his initial preseason Top 25 rankings, analyst Joel Klatt has Ole Miss as a fringe-ranked team, coming in at 21st. That, as he explained on The Joel Klatt Show, comes from his trust in Kiffin despite a large amount of turnover on the roster.
“So, here’s a wild card for me,” Joel Klatt said. “Ole Miss. I think Ole Miss is going to be really good. Do I know that? No. Do I trust in that? Meh. They’ve got to replace a lot.”
Ole Miss finished last season ranked 14th in the final College Football Playoff rankings, 11th in the final AP Poll, and 13th in the final coaches poll. The preseason coaches poll has also come out now, in which the Rebels are 15th, several spots ahead of where Klatt has them.
“Lane’s done an unbelievable job there. I think Lane Kiffin is one of the best coaches in college football. I really do. He’s a great follow on Twitter. Lane and I had that little back and forth there in the Playoff time. Here’s the best part about it,” Klatt said. “Lane’s awesome. He and I have texted since. Like, he doesn’t take it personal. He understands. Lane Kiffin is so good for college football. So good for college football. He’s won double-digit games in back-to-back seasons now at Ole Miss. That’s the first time that’s happened in Oxford in over 60 years. So, he’s producing. It’s not all just the tweets.”
Quarterback remains the biggest question mark at Ole Miss. Lane Kiffin is turning to Austin Simmons, a former four-star recruit who played in nine games last season. In that time, he completed 59.4 percent of his passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns. Now, he’ll need to take a major leap forward as the starter.
“Regardless, Ole Miss has to replace a lot of talent from last year. We know that. Jaxson Dart, first round quarterback. They’re going to turn to Austin Simmons. I think he’s a good player. Do I know that? Ehh, no. I don’t,” Klatt said. “But I think he’s a really good player. Lane always replenishes the roster with an active portal season, which he has done for reinforcements.”
Ole Miss opens play on August 30th against Georgia State. It will be their first chance to see how Lane Kiffin replenished the roster and how that unit works together now, before SEC play kicks off the next week against Kentucky.
“So, I am gonna go with Ole Miss at 21. Do I know this is going to happen for Ole Miss? No,” Klatt said. “But like I said, Lane’s a great coach. It’s a quarterback-friendly offense. I think Simmons is a good player. So, I’m going to stick them at 21.”
