The 2024-25 college football season has wrapped up with Ohio State being crowned the sport’s top team. One morning after the Buckeyes took the title back to Columbus, the Associated Press released its final top 25 of the campaign and Ole Miss appeared at No. 11.
In a season dubbed “The Last Dance” by Rebel players, coaches, and fans, Ole Miss did not quite enter the promised land — the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. The hype was manufactured by the Rebels’ signing a top class from the transfer portal and acquiring promising high school prospects.
This was made possible through a strong grassroots effort by fans, and some businesses, to ensure that The Grove Collective — Ole Miss’ exclusive name, image, and likeness program — had the requisite amount of resources to entice the likes of Walter Nolen, Princely Umanmielen, Chris Paul, Jr., Trey Amos, Dae’Quan Wright, etc. to find a new home in Oxford.
Having configured arguably the most talented roster in program history, Ole Miss went on to display defensive excellence and offensive prowess. In the process, the Rebels dominated a slew of non-conference foes and ousted one of the sport’s juggernauts. However, the efforts did not lead to title contention.
Recapping the season
Things started off hot for Ole Miss, with the team cruising to four straight wins, allowing just one touchdown in the process. Then, a daunting loss to Kentucky would haunt the Rebels for the remainder of the year. While the group initially bounced back and dominated South Carolina in enemy territory, a following road test at LSU produced a heartbreaking defeat in overtime
The two early losses turned every remaining contest into a “make-or-break” one, and Ole Miss responded as such. Despite a slow start, the Rebels overcame Oklahoma. The team then proved to be a force in the sport, defeating Arkansas by 32 points and taking down No. 3 Georgia to secure a strong standing in the College Football Playoff rankings.
With playoff hopes alive and well ahead of the penultimate regular season matchup, Lane Kiffin and company ultimately fell short and lost at Florida, thus eliminating Ole Miss from the 12-team field. But the Rebels picked up the pieces and rounded out the season with an Egg Bowl victory over Mississippi State and a convincing domination of Duke in the Gator Bowl.
Standout performers
The season could not have been possible without veteran signal-caller Jaxson Dart, the 2024 Conerly Trophy winner. In his senior year, Dart etched himself at the top of Ole Miss record books, setting a multitude of program records. This past season alone, he amassed 4,279 passing yards, 495 rushing yards, and 32 total touchdowns.
As in his career, Dart surpassed program greats like Eli Manning, Chad Kelly, and Matt Corral in setting the total offense (12,115), passing yards (10,617), passing efficiency (162.8), 300-yard passing games (15), rushing yards by a QB (1,498), and total offense per play (8.14) records. Dart is also the winningest quarterback in Ole Miss history.
Dart’s success was largely made possible by a pair of reliable weapons in Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins. Harris, who missed a good chunk of the season with a lingering injury, was the field general’s go-to guy when healthy, recording 1,030 yards in the air and seven touchdowns. In Harris’ absence, Watkins rose to the occasion as a trustworthy wideout. Watkins caught 49 passes for 906 yards and nine touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the ball, Ole Miss was led by a strong corps who wreaked havoc on opposing backfields. The Rebels ranked No. 1 in team sacks with 52 on the year. Umanmielen and Suntarine Perkins, who served as edge rushers, led that effort with 10.5 sacks apiece.
Ole Miss was also one of the nation’s best rushing defenses. Nolen, JJ Pegues, Jared Ivey, and Zxavian Harris handled the line of scrimmage as Perkins, Paul, and TJ Dottery maintained the boundaries as the Rebels surrendered just over 80 yards on the ground per game.
In the secondary, Ole Miss had a lockdown corner in Amos. The Alabama transfer deflected 13 passes and had three interceptions as well as a forced fumble. As a strong tackler, the physical defensive back also limited screens and other quick passes. Amos finished the campaign with 50 total tackles.
What’s next
Ole Miss will return to action on August 30 and face Georgia Southern in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
The final AP top 25 can be found below:
- Ohio State
- Notre Dame
- Oregon
- Texas
- Penn State
- Georgia
- Arizona State
- Boise State
- Tennessee
- Indiana
- Ole Miss
- SMU
- BYU
- Clemson
- Iowa State
- Illinois
- Alabama
- Miami
- South Carolina
- Syracuse
- Army
- Missouri
- UNLV
- Memphis
- Colorado