While the college football season hasn’t fully wrapped up, for all but two teams the offseason has begun. That means most have already dealt with the major impact of the December transfer portal window. Players out. Players in. Trying to fill holes in their rosters. The Ole Miss Rebels are no different. We all know Lane Kiffin utilizes the portal well, and he’s going to have to prove that this offseason. That’s especially true regarding the Ole Miss receivers’ room.
To start off, the Rebels knew they were set to lose a lot of their production from their starting receivers. Both Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins are out of eligibility. The same is true for Caden Prieskorn, technically a tight end, but still an integral part of the Ole Miss passing attack.
In addition to the guys out of eligibility, both Micah Davis and Ayden Williams decided to hit the portal following the season. Davis is a guy who saw meaningful snaps this year, although he saw more playing time at running back than wide receiver. Part of this was due to injuries decimating the Rebel running back room this season. Williams on the other hand, didn’t see the field that often. Despite being a four-star recruit in the 2023 class, he only caught seven passes, on limited snaps, in two seasons at Ole Miss.
Juice Wells is another guy that seems to be on his way out. While he technically has one more year of eligibility, it appears that Wells is set to take his chances with the NFL Draft. This comes after what many would say was a disappointing season at Ole Miss.
Despite some big-time losses, Kiffin and company have done a pretty good job of regrouping at the position.
Transfer Portal Additions
The portal additions at wide receiver for the Rebels started pretty quickly. Former Oklahoma State Cowboy De’Zhaun Stribling was the first portal receiver to commit to Ole Miss. Stribling set career highs in receptions (52), yards (882), and touchdowns (6) this season in Stillwater.
The following day, former Alabama receiver Caleb Odom announced his intention to head to Oxford. Odom was a highly touted recruit in last year’s class that never seemed to pan out in Tuscaloosa. In only one season, he caught seven passes. However, listed at 6-5, 227 pounds, the Rebels are hoping he can become a force in the red zone or jump ball situations.
In addition to Stribling and Odom, Kiffin has also brought in Deuce Alexander from Wake Forest and Traylon Ray from West Virginia. As a Demon Deacon, Alexander caught 36 passes for 400 yards this season. For Ray, he brought in 46 passes for 747 yards in two seasons as a Mountaineer.
The key with all of these additions is that nearly all have proven the ability to have success in a Power 4 conference. Odom obviously has the least amount of success of the portal additions. But even with him, the body and potential are there. It simply becomes a matter of whether he can find the right fit.
Who Are the Portal Receivers Joining in Oxford?
Despite a solid haul through the portal, Kiffin has also managed to add some depth through this year’s high school class as well. This primarily came by way of Caleb Cunningham. After a recruiting battle with Alabama, Kiffin and Ole Miss managed to get the top-ranked player from Mississippi to stay in-state. Listed at 6’3, 190 pounds, he already has the height to play on day one. If there’s any question for Cunningham, it would be whether he can put on a few extra pounds when he arrives on campus. But with his explosiveness and leaping ability, the concern there is minimal.
All of these newcomers will be set to join Cayden Lee in the receiver room in Oxford. For many, Lee was one of the biggest surprises at Ole Miss this season. After catching only five passes during his freshman season, he brought in 57 passes for 874 yards as a sophomore. More impressively, he wasn’t credited with a single drop. His sure hands, along with him being the most experienced receiver left in the Kiffin system, have plenty of Rebel fans raving about what he could become next season.
Does Ole Miss Add Any Others in the Spring Portal Window?
Nothing can be put past Kiffin in the portal. So the Spring portal window will have Kiffin willing to add more depth at the wide receiver position. But it likely won’t be a major concern. If this position group stays as it is currently structured, it should be a solid unit next season.
While they don’t necessarily have the name recognition from a lot of Ole Miss receiver groups in recent years, they do have a nice blend of size and speed. There’s also plenty of experience to be able to help some of the newcomers adjust. Having that experience could be huge when it comes to SEC play.
So while there are likely to be plenty of questions surrounding Ole Miss as we head into next season, the wide receiver room shouldn’t be one of them.
The post What Will the Ole Miss Receiver Room Look Like Next Season? appeared first on Last Word on College Football.