Pro Football Focus believes Ole Miss underrated in preseason AP Poll

Pro Football Focus ranks Ole Miss football as one of the most underrated teams in the preseason AP Poll this season. The Rebels are outside of the top 25 and received just 106 votes in total.

Kiffin and his team have preached accountability and leadership throughout the offseason as the team comes together with hopes of making something special. The team recently became the first in the country to reach 100-percent vaccination and got a viral commitment from their coach to set a better example.

Ole Miss went 5-5 in head coach Lane Kiffin’s first season, overcoming the challenges of the pandemic and a 10-game SEC schedule. They return starting quarterback Matt Corral and a number of contributors from last season’s roster this season.

Strengths and weaknesses

PFF values Kiffin’s offensive turnaround last season. They believe the Ole Miss offense continues to be underrated this season.

“Offensively, Year one of the Lane Kiffin era at Ole Miss could not have gone much better than it did, and it’s that side of the ball that’s powering this ranking,” PFF said. “Kiffin’s passing offense was masterful and ended up being the second-most-efficient unit in the Power Five, behind only the Crimson Tide.

PFF continued: “Along with that, Ole Miss saw the eighth-largest year-over-year improvement in passing efficiency among all Power Five programs in the PFF College era. Quarterback Matt Corral had a couple of hiccups against Arkansas and LSU but still finished with an elite PFF grade on the year and is a top-10-graded player at the position.

Returning wide receivers Dontario Drummond and Jonathan Mingo will look to improve on their 2020 numbers as Missouri transfer Jalen Knox and Western Kentucky transfer Jahcour Pearson look to add something to the offense.

PFF is high on the potential value of Pearson as he steps into the spotlight.

“The notable concern on offense as they enter 2021 has to do with replacing star slot receiver Elijah Moore, the third-highest-graded receiver in the FBS last year,” PFF said. “Western Kentucky transfer Jahcour Pearson is a suitable replacement, but he still has massive shoes to fill.”

The biggest questions surrounding Ole Miss are on the defensive side of the ball. The Rebels lose their leading tackler in Jacquez Jones but retain four of the top five.

“The defense may be on shaky ground, but the offense is too strong not to be inside the top 25,” PFF said.