Three lingering questions for Ole Miss football, Lane Kiffin as spring practice concludes

OXFORD ― There was almost nothing conventional about Ole Miss football’s 2024 spring practices, which saw the Rebels onboard a transfer portal class of experienced SEC stars, eschew physical contact in favor of mental reps and turn their spring game into something you might see at Coney Island on July 4.

So, where does that leave them? What are the major questions for coach Lane Kiffin and his staff as Ole Miss shifts its focus toward the spring transfer portal window, which begins this week?

Here’s a look at three big ones.

Who makes up Ole Miss football’s best offensive line?

The Grove Bowl’s limited football itinerary offered no information on the Rebels’ offensive and defensive lines, except for how many hot dogs those guys could eat.

And the media viewing periods throughout spring drills indicated that this is a puzzle that isn’t all that close to being solved.

That’s a good problem for the Rebels, who returned three of their starting offensive linemen and added four experienced options in the transfer portal ‒ including three power conference starters, and two members of the Washington offensive line that went to the national championship game.

If Ole Miss can retain all of these players through the spring transfer portal period, it will enter 2024 with outstanding depth. That wasn’t true last season, when the Rebels fielded a mediocre offensive line that became an outright problem later in the season as injuries piled up.

Deciding on the best starting unit up front will be one of the top storylines of preseason practice.

What is Suntarine Perkins’ role for Ole Miss football?

Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding predicted this winter that Suntarine Perkins would see his role expand to more positions after occupying a ‘Jack’ edge rushing role as a true freshman.

Though Perkins was recruited as a linebacker,…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/three-lingering-questions-ole-miss-100806279.html

Author : The Clarion Ledger

Publish date : 2024-04-16 10:08:06

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