Who will be the breakout surprise on offense for Ole Miss in 2024?

Every year, it seems, a football player, or two, ends up doing more to contribute to Ole Miss’ mission to win in the rugged Southeastern Conference than was anticipated.

Surprises, if you will.

Last season, senior safety DaiJahn Anthony rose to the occasion and produced way more than anticipated in pass defense. Going into the season, his reputation was that of a headhunting run support safety who struggled in coverage, but he ended up with expected tackle numbers (61) and more than expected passes intercepted and broken up – 3 and 8 respectively. The passes broken up were tops on the team.

Freshman wide receiver Cayden Lee also came from nowhere, so to speak, to become an integral part of the offense while giving starters Jordan Watkins , Dayton Wade and Tre Harris breathers. Lee’s production was somewhat of a surprise because most felt fellow freshman Ayden Williams would be the first of that duo to burst on the scene.

In 2022, it was obvious who came on like gangbusters – running back Quinshon Judkins, who set a single season rushing record with 1567 yard. Also, Auburn transfer safety Ladarius Tennison, with 54 tackles and 10 tackles for losses, which led Ole Miss, was also a bit of a surprise.

Who are going to be the surprises on offense in 2024? We can only speculate and that’s the fun part of predicting.

Looking up and down the 2024 roster and basing some of this speculation on limited spring viewing, one name on offense jumps off the page – wideout Ayden Williams. As we have mentioned on this site before, Williams looked like a different receiver than he did in the fall.

He seemed to know his assignments better, the quarterbacks seemed to have better timing with him, and Williams seemed to gain a lot of confidence due to the knowledge he had gained in his first season. He has a lot of the same characteristics of former Rebel A.J. Brown in that he’s big (6-3), he’s strong and he has good ball skills.

2024 could be a breakout year for Williams even though there is a lot of competition just to get on the field with Harris, Watkins and Juice Wells likely being the starters. Don’t be surprised, though, if you see a different looking Williams in the fall.

Also, don’t be surprised if running back Ulysses Bentley IV has a big time year provided he can stay healthy. It’s his money year, he’s entering ’24 healthy and he’s actually put on a few pounds. Fans tend to believe he is a one-trick pony with speed being his only calling card, but he’s got powerful thighs and can break tackles.

Bentley, like Williams, will have plenty of help at running back with Henry Parrish , Jr. and hammer Rashad Amos , so that will help him stay fresh, healthy and ready to ramble.

What are your guesses for the surprise offensive players in 2024?

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