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The Ole Miss Rebels will return their most talented roster in school history and seem poised to improve on their 9-4 record in 2014. Hugh Freeze will be entering his fourth year at the helm and has accumulated a 24-15 record. Ole Miss is coming off their best season since 2009 and managed to keep the coaching staff largely intact. The high expectations for Ole Miss are certainly warranted. The Rebels boast one of the most experienced teams in the nation, returning each member of their starting offensive and defensive lines. The schedule is more manageable due to a softer non-conference slate.
The Rebels return nine offensive starters from last season’s unit that averaged 28.3 points per game. The offensive line returns every starter from 2014 and will be anchored by Laremy Tunsil. Tunsil is perhaps the best offensive lineman in the nation and will be entering his junior season. The Rebels are the only team in the SEC to return all of their offensive linemen. The running game was pedestrian at best in 2014, however, there is reason to believe that the continuity up front will lead to improvement in 2015.
Ole Miss returns star receivers Laquon Treadwell and Evan Engram. Engram, though listed as a tight end, has great hands and is more comfortable catching passes than blocking linebackers. Treadwell is healthy and available for spring practice after suffering a serious injury last season. Ole Miss also returns the sure-handed Cody Core and boasts a talented receiving corps.
Defensively, the Rebels return seven starters from a unit that was one of the best in the country in 2014. Robert Nkemdiche, who has played both on the edge and in the interior of the defensive line, will lead this unit once again. Nkdemiche, once the nation’s best high school prospect, will be entering his junior season at Ole Miss. Tony Conner, who plays “huskie” in the Rebels’ 4-2-5 defensive scheme, will lead a group of ball-hawking linebackers and defensive backs that forced 32 turnovers last season.
Unfortunately, Ole Miss has never played in an SEC Championship game and earning that opportunity will be difficult. A berth in the SEC title game would be foreign territory for the Rebels, and the roster may not be this well-equipped for several years after 2015. There are two foreseeable issues that the Rebels must address in order to make the most of their current roster.
First, the quarterback battle could continue up until the first game of the season. There are currently three candidates vying for the position. Ryan Buchanon and DeVante Kincade both received a minimal number of snaps in 2014. Chad Kelly, a JUCO-transfer, possesses a great deal of talent but has character issues. Kelly was dismissed from Clemson before landing in the JUCO ranks last season. Kelly is the nephew of the legendary Jim Kelly. The most important factor in the QB battle will be finding the player who best protects the ball, because Ole Miss has been plagued by turnovers from that position over the last several years.
The talent around the quarterback candidates is impressive and the defense will put the offense in a position to succeed. The winner of the quarterback competition will need to possess reasonable athleticism, as the Rebels’ offense will call for the QB to be an integral part of the running game. Due to this factor, Kincade and Kelly are slightly more likely to be named the starter since Buchanon is more comfortable in the pocket.
Most important of all is how will Ole Miss handle expectations? The program has been inconsistent at best in terms of sustaining prosperity. The 2014 season started off 7-0 and the Rebels looked like contenders to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff. Treadwell went down and the Rebels struggled to a 2-4 finish. Coach Freeze will have to keep the team focused one week at a time, and the Rebels will need to keep their key pieces healthy. If they are able to do those things and a quarterback steps up, Ole Miss could be playing in the SEC Championship game for the first time.
Levi Dunagan is a SEC Football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Levi275.
