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OXFORD ― Lane Kiffin threw a curveball.
At an alumni event in Memphis earlier this month, the Ole Miss football coach and revered offensive mind was asked which position group excited him the most heading into 2024. He didn’t choose the wide receivers, a group loaded with NFL-caliber talent, or the quarterback room ‒ home to a top-10 preseason Heisman Trophy candidate in Jaxson Dart and as much depth behind him as Kiffin could ask for.
Instead, Kiffin made a selection inconsistent with his high-octane brand.
“I would say the D-line, because we really haven’t had a premier D-line since we’ve been here, and so we have a chance to have a mix of guys that really could be high NFL picks up there,” Kiffin said.
The Rebels made a pair of game-changing transfer portal additions to their defensive front over the offseason, landing Texas A&M transfer Walter Nolen and Florida edge rusher Princely Umanmielen.
Nolen, the No. 3 player in the portal this offseason according to 247Sports and a former five-star recruit, pairs a 6-foot-4, 290-pound frame with elite athleticism, giving the Rebels a dominant interior presence. Umanmielen offers similar physicality. At 6-5, 255 pounds, Umanmielen picked up seven sacks in 12 games last season on his way to second team All-SEC recognition.
The Rebels also added All-Conference USA edge rusher Chris Hardie from Jacksonville State and highly rated freshman Kam Franklin to pair with productive returners like Jared Ivey and JJ Pegues. Interestingly, former five-star recruit and freshman standout Suntarine Perkins is listed as a defensive end on the 2024 roster. He played most of his snaps on the edge last season despite being labeled a linebacker
“In this conference, that’s a total game changer – any conference, but especially here,” Kiffin said of his defensive line talent. “… We saw at…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ole-miss-football-position-group-100510544.html
Author : The Clarion Ledger
Publish date : 2024-06-18 10:05:10
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