The Ole Miss football team has earned high praise from an unexpected ally ahead of the upcoming season. In a social media post, country music superstar Darius Rucker made it pretty clear that he is expecting big things from the Rebels in year five of the Lane Kiffin era.
“The biggest surprise team this year is going to be … I’m going with Ole Miss,” Rucker said. “Ole Miss can win the championship. I mean, I love the coach. Ole Miss is going to be a surprise team.”
View this post on Instagram
Rucker, who has had immense success as both the frontman for Hootie and the Blowfish and an individual performer, is a multi-Grammy award winner. Best known for being the lead vocalist in “Only Wanna Be With You,” along with his spin on Bob Dylan’s “Wagon Wheel,” Rucker’s name has frequently topped country and rock charts.
While he may best be known for his music career, Rucker is quite the football fan. A proud native of South Carolina, the singer further predicted in his post that his home-state Gamecocks would win the national title and that quarterback LaNorris Sellers would earn the Heisman Trophy. Rucker also projected that five SEC teams would be featured in this year’s College Football Playoff.
As for Ole Miss, the Rebels will enter the upcoming campaign ranked No. 21 in the nation, per the Associated Press. Last year, the Rebels fell just shy of College Football Playoff expectations after dropping conference matchups to Kentucky, LSU, and Florida. The red and blue did, however, have notable performances versus Georgia, South Carolina, and a 32-point victory over Duke to rubber-stamp double-digit wins in the left column for a second consecutive year.
This year, the Rebels will have a new look with some familiar faces to complement a fresh set of faces from other schools. Kiffin, defensive coordinator Pete Golding, and company went to work in the offseason, adding pieces through the transfer portal to complement a culmination of previous high school classes.
On the offensive side of the ball, Austin Simmons will take over for record-setting signal caller Jaxson Dart, while Suntarine Perkins, Zxavian Harris, and TJ Dottery are expected to anchor the defense.
The Rebels will begin the 2025 campaign against Georgia State on Saturday, Aug. 30. The game will kick off at 6 p.m. and will be aired on the SEC Network, along with participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.
