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Greg McElroy defends leaving Ole Miss off Top 10 defenses in college football list

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•06/06/25•

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NCAA Football: Georgia Southern at Mississippi
Sep 21, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin (left) shares a laugh with defensive coordinator Pete Golding (right) during warm ups prior to the game against the Georgia Southern Eagles at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

ESPN’s Greg McElroy took time to go through some of college football’s top defenses entering the 2025 season, compiling a top 10 list. Ole Miss did not make the cut, falling into the honorable mention category. One season after having a top unit, the Rebels appear to have room to improve.

McElroy did provide some reasoning as to why the Rebels are outside of the top 10. He is worried about the personnel Ole Miss lost to the NFL Draft this offseason. While there is still defensive talent on the roster, McElroy does not see it at the same level.

“They do make the top 10 this year because of some of the significant turnover,” McElroy said. “Look, I love Pete Golding as a defensive coordinator, it’s his third year there. He’s done a great job in his first two years. It went from being a remarkably mediocre group, across the board, to becoming one of the best defenses and one of the most disruptive defenses over the last two years…

“But the personnel losses are just too significant for me to overlook… I just don’t think they have enough back this upcoming year to think that it’s going to be the exact same as it was.”

NFL teams loved the Ole Miss front seven this season, specifically the defensive line. Walter Nolen wound up being a first-round draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals. Princely Umanmielen and Jared Ivery were great players for Golding but are now at the next level. Going back to the linebackers, Chris Paul was fantastic but no longer with the program.

Ole Miss not having those caliber of players knocks them down in McElroy’s eyes. And even in the world of the NCAA transfer portal, an area Lane Kiffin has found major success in recent years, it’s understandable to see why.

There is still a reason as to why Ole Miss is considered an honorable mention, though. Sustaine Perkins was highlighted by McElroy as a star player for the Rebels. One of the more athletic players in the entire SEC, Golding has multiple ways to deploy Perkins. No matter where the linebacker/EDGE lines up, quarterbacks and offensive lines have to account for him.

Aug. 30 will be the first chance Ole Miss has to prove McElroy wrong against Georgia State. One week later will be a massive revenge game, facing Kentucky one year after an upset loss, one that likely kept the Rebels out of the College Football Playoff.