Projecting the Rebels’ Fall Depth Chart: Offense

The Ole Miss football squad opens Fall camp this week, marking the first time the entire 2023 squad will hit the field together after an offseason full of turnover.

Lane Kiffin has assembled one of the deepest rosters I can remember since I started following the Rebs about 25 years ago. While not the best Ole Miss team in terms of star talent, Kiffin’s 2023 roster gives him and the rest of the coaching staff lots of options at nearly every position, to the point where it’s difficult to project who will be the first guys to hit the field in a lot of positions.

Even so, the people crave depth charts, and who are we to deny the will of the people? What follows is my best guess at the Rebels’ two-deep, with some notes on my reasoning for each position group.

Quarterback:

1. Jaxson Dart
2. Spencer Sanders

Dart maintained a solid hold on the starting QB position throughout Spring practices, and he looks to maintain that lead unless his in-game performance gives Lane Kiffin reason to consider other options. Dart’s weakness last year, in my opinion, was with the quick read; he rarely connected on quick passes, and when he forced himself to make quick decisions with the ball, bad things often happened. He’ll need to show some improvement in that regard this year, but hopefully his offensive line will provide a cleaner pocket that should greatly increase his confidence. Sanders, to my eye, is a pretty reckless passer, but he does have a quick trigger, and makes a lot of big plays.

Running back:

1. Quinshon Judkins
2. Ulysses Bentley IV

Do we need to talk about this? Barely. If Judkins remains healthy, he should play like a Heisman candidate, while Bentley provides great burst and pass-catching ability, and should factor heavily into Kiffin’s game planning in order to keep Judkins fresh throughout the season.

Outside wide receivers:

1. Jordan Watkins
2. Tre Harris
3. Ayden Williams
4. Jalen Knox

I’m listing four players here to represent the two-deep rotation at both wideout spots. For now, I’m leaving Zakhari Franklin out, as reports of his knee cleanup have me hesitant to pick him as an early contributor. I could also see Tre Harris being slow to get started this season, as he missed the entire Spring period with a hamstring injury that still may not be 100%. Still, I’d imagine he pushes through, and his talent keeps him just ahead of mega-talented freshman Ayden Williams and hard-nosed Mizzou transfer Jalen Knox.

Slot receivers:

1. Dayton Wade
2. Bralon Brown

Depending on how things shake out among the outside receivers, I could see Jordan Watkins as the Rebels’ starting slot receiver, but for now, I’m penciling in Wade, who had some sneaky-big games for Ole Miss last year. Bralon Brown has too much talent to stay on the sidelines forever, and we heard enough about him during Spring ball where I’m tabbing him as the first off the bench in the slot. He gives Ole Miss size and physicality at the position.

Tight end:

1. Caden Prieskorn
2. Michael Trigg

I’m expecting Prieskorn and Trigg to play roughly equal snaps this year, unless reports of Trigg’s maturation have been exaggerated. Also, given the Rebels’ lack of a clear-cut star at wideout, expect Lane Kiffin to use both of his star TEs on the field at once, making Trigg a de facto slot receiver at times.

Offensive line:

Left tackle:

1. Jayden Williams
2. Victor Curne

Left guard:

1. Eli Acker
2. Quincy McGee

Center:

1. Caleb Warren
2. Reece McIntyre

Right guard:

1. Jeremy James
2. Brycen Sanders

Right tackle:

1. Micah Pettus
2. Cedric Melton

New Ole Miss offensive line coach John Garrison hasn’t yet seen much of Jayden Williams, as the Rebels’ redshirt freshman starting left tackle was out all Spring recovering from surgery. That adds some degree of intrigue at the LT position, but I’d still expect Williams to keep the job. I also expect some competition at left guard; Eli Acker and Quincy McGee could very well go back and forth throughout the season at that spot. I could also definitely see a situation where Victor Curne is the first off the bench at both tackle spots, and McGee is the first reserve at both guard slots. Acker has some experience at center, providing even more rotational flexibility for Garrison’s crew.

Later this week, we’ll walk you through our best guesses for the defensive depth chart, which looks a lot more convoluted, given a huge influx of portal players, a five-star freshman, and a totally new defensive scheme. Stay tuned!