The Ole Miss Rebels fell short of their ultimate goal in 2024: reaching the College Football Playoff. But could a revamped Rebels team make a push for the 12-team field in 2025?
It wouldn’t be absurd to think that Ole Miss should set its sights on the 2026 season for a playoff push, especially considering its roster this season was constructed with a CFP berth in mind. But one college football analyst isn’t punting the idea that the Rebels could reach the playoff in 2025, namely Cole Cubelic.
Cubelic was recently a guest on Josh Pate’s College Football Show where the duo discussed some “dark horse” teams that could reach the playoff next season. One of Cubelic’s choices was none other than the Rebels.
“I would probably go back to Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss,” Cubelic said. “We saw a little bit of [quarterback] Austin Simmons last year. He looks like he has all the ability. He looks like he has all the talent.
“Is he going to be able to run the offense, manage the offense and operate the offense to be the gamer that Jaxson Dart was? We don’t know that yet. But you know they’re going to have talent on the outside.”
Ole Miss has definitely added plenty of talent at wide receiver so far this offseason to replace outgoing production. Recently, the Rebels added Penn State transfer Trey Wallace out of the portal to go along with Caleb Odom (Alabama), De’Zhaun Stribling (Oklahoma State), Deuce Alexander (Wake Forest) and Traylon Ray (West Virginia) as transfer additions who have joined the fold since December.
That’s alongside the return of Cayden Lee at wideout who blossomed into a dangerous SEC weapon in 2024. But that isn’t the area that Cubelic views as the biggest hurdle to a playoff run for Ole Miss.
Instead, it’s in the trenches.
“The offensive line has been able to be circumvented for years now,” Cubelic said. “I don’t need that to be great, but is the defensive line going to be close to what it was last year? That’s what’s going to have to happen if Ole Miss is going to make that push, maybe make that run.”
Ole Miss is losing defensive line names like Walter Nolen and Princely Umanmielen to the NFL Draft this offseason, but it’s made some strides to fill those gaps in the transfer market so far. Princely’s brother, Princewill Umanmielen, pledged to the Rebels out of the portal in December, as did fellow edge rusher Da’Shawn Womack.
Those names will pair with returners like Suntarine Perkins, William Echoles, Kam Franklin and Zxavian Harris as the Rebels look to put pressure on opposing offensive lines once again next fall.
Ole Miss’ roster will without a doubt look different next season than it did this year, but will it be good enough to make a playoff push? Time will tell, but perhaps it’s a bit too early to completely write off the Rebels’ 2025 campaign, if you’re an Ole Miss fan.
READ MORE Ole Miss Rebels News:
2025 Ole Miss Football Offense Beginning to Take Shape Following Latest Portal Commit
Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart Holds Firm as One of NFL Draft’s Top Available QBs
Ex-Rebel Patrick Willis Tells Hilarious Story of When He Sacked Eli Manning in NFL
Ole Miss To Host Former Penn State WR Trey Wallace
Ole Miss Rebels DT Jamarious Brown Named Freshman All-American
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