A popular phrase throughout the ‘Star Wars’ franchise is ‘The Force is strong in this one.’ Well, if Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin were looking through this year’s Lindy’s Sports college football preview magazine he might say the ‘rat poison’ is strong in this one.
With the summer months now upon us and the calendar firmly entrenched in June these national preview magazines are going to start rolling out as the precursor to preseason polls and All-American lists.
The Rebels continue to earn high praise and national expectations are still rising with Lindy’s annual issue no different, starting with a No. 5 ranking in its preseason Top 10.
Considered a winner in the transfer portal along with Florida State and Ohio State, Ole Miss is a firm player in the College Football Playoffs as far as Lindy’s is concerned.
Lindy’s has the Rebels finishing the season as the No. 7 Seed in the CFP and hosting 10 Seed Notre Dame in Oxford as part of the first round. No scores are given in the magazine’s CFP picks but the Rebels are picked to beat the Fighting Irish and advance to the second round, where the New Year’s Six bowls become host sites.
Unfortunately this is where Lindy’s sees Ole Miss and its 2024 season coming to an end, losing to the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl. They magazine picks Ohio State to make it all the way to the CFP national title game and losing to Georgia, 27-17 (the only game provided a predicted score).
Before the postseason arrives Ole Miss has a couple of the top Southeastern Conference games during the regular season, according to Lindy’s. The Rebels home game against Georgia (No. 8) and the road trip to LSU (No. 13) are among the Top 15 national conference games of the season.
“With the best-looking roster the Rebels have assembled in school history, this team looks like it has playoff DNA,” the magazine states. “With Captain Portal and the program’s NIL efforts with regard to player evaluation and closing the deal with a bunch of high-end transfers, Lane Kiffin has got it going in Oxford.”
Strong individual praise for Ole Miss players is also scattered throughout the magazine.
Heisman Trophy buzz for senior quarterback Jaxson Dart is not going away but only going to ramp up if other media outlets share the same sentiment as Lindy’s does. Already a contender for college football’s top prize in Las Vegas, Dart should start reading more similar praise in print.
Dart is No. 6 in Lindy’s Heisman watch list.
“The Rebels could be roaring in 2024, which puts Dart on target for Heisman love as he should exceed his 2023 totals of 3,364 yards and 23 TDs while guiding Ole Miss into the playoff.
Lindy’s also considers Dart as the fifth-best quarterback when it comes to next Spring’s NFL Draft. He is behind Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Georgia’s Carson Beck, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Texas’ Quinn Ewers.
Wide receiver Tre Harris earned a spot on Lindy’s Preseason All-American Second Team
On the defensive side of the ball the two key Ole Miss newcomers are also receiving strong praise. Texas A&M transfer Walter Nolen and Florida transfer Princely Umanmielen are considered the No. 3 and 7 most-impactful transfers in Lindy’s Top-15 list.
Umanmielen earned a Preseason All-American Second Team honor on defense.
Defensive end Kam Franklin is ranked No. 78 in Lindy’s Top 100 incoming freshmen and the only Rebel to make the list.
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