Cole Cubelic breaks down Ole Miss transfer portal wins
Ole Miss has been a force in the transfer portal. The Rebels currently have the No. 3 transfer portal class, according to On3 Industry Rankings. The incoming group includes five former four-star prospects, highlighted by standouts such as EDGE Princely Umanmielen, WR Juice Wells and EDGE Tyler Baron.
The stellar group has generated no shortage of buzz across the college football world. On Monday, ESPN’s Cole Cubelic reviewed head coach Lane Kiffin’s incoming transfer class.
“Princely more twitch than anybody they have off the edge,” Cubelic told On3’s Andy Staples. “Then, you throw in a Tyler Baron, who came down inside for Tennessee in a lot of their jet packages this year. He’s got a good versatility. He’s got a great frame to rush off the edge. These are different.”
Ole Miss has also minimized its losses. All 11 Rebels who have entered the portal are former three-star recruits or unranked prospects. Moreover, Kiffin isn’t finished. Ole Miss is currently the favorite to land the No. 1 player available in the transfer portal: Texas A&M DL Walter Nolen.
Nolen was the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2022 recruiting cycle. He didn’t disappoint. Nolen spent two seasons in College Station, appearing in 22 games for the Aggies. He recorded 66 tackles, 11.0 tackles for a loss, 5.0 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pass defended.
Ole Miss ready to take a leap forward
While Ole Miss took a step forward this past season on defense, Cubelic believes fans could see a leap next year.
“I said going into last year this team will be 20 to 30% better against the run, based on structure alone. [Defensive coordinator] Pete [Golding] will have them lined up to stop the run better than what they’ve done in the last five to six years.
“They took that step. Now they need to get a little bit bigger and faster at linebacker. They need a little be a little more capable at safety, versatility, be able to do some different things.”
Ole Miss had the No. 58 defense in the country this year, allowing 371.9 yards per game. However, the team strived in other ways. The Rebels were particularly effective at breaching opponents’ backfields. Ole Miss ranked No. 25 in tackles for loss and No. 16 in sacks this season.
With more weapons at his disposal, there’s no telling what heights Golding could elevate Ole Miss’ defense to next season. Cubelic is excited to witness the spectacle.
“They are revamping that defense, specifically at the line of scrimmage,” Cubelic said. “They will be even more different this year because they’ll have that girth inside and they’ll have a couple of guys that are just a legit edge presence.”