Lane Kiffn's most pressing Ole Miss football issues as preseason practice begins

OXFORD — Ole Miss football season is just over a month away, with the Rebels set to begin preseason practice this week.

Coach Lane Kiffin's team will have 25 practices available before Ole Miss begins the season on Aug. 31 against Furman. Here are some key items that should be on Kiffin's checklist before then.

Sort out loaded Ole Miss football receiver room's playing time

The Rebels face a good problem at wide receiver heading into 2024: They've got too many good ones to fit on the field at once. Stars Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins return, and Ole Miss added a former All-SEC player from South Carolina in Juice Wells, who spent the spring with a lower-body injury but was seen running routes on social media last week.

Top junior college prospect Deion Smith might fit into that mix, too. But he's still not listed on the Rebels' roster and Kiffin said at SEC Media Days that he didn't know if he'd be present for preseason practice. Sophomores Cayden Lee and Ayden Williams will factor in as well.

Harris, Watkins and Wells make up the presumptive starting group, when healthy. Could someone else challenge for one of those spots? And how aggressive will Kiffin be about rotating players at receiver after leaning heavily on his starters in 2023?

WILLIAMS AND LEE

Establish cohesion on the Ole Miss football offensive line

Good offensive lines work as collective units, and this Ole Miss front five will have to learn to play that way in a hurry.

The Rebels added four veteran offensive linemen in the transfer portal, including three who started for power conference programs. That group will mesh with three starters from Ole Miss' 2023 offensive line: Micah Pettus, Jeremy James and Caleb Warren. Jayden Williams, who played significant snaps last season and started as a freshman in 2022, is back too.

Injuries meant that group didn't see much spring action together. Establishing the best five and getting them the reps they need to work cohesively when the season kicks off will be an important agenda item.

Decide if a new Ole Miss kick returner is necessary

Ulysses Bentley IV returned kicks last season while serving as Quinshon Judkins' understudy at running back. Bentley is back for 2024, but will he keep his job returning kicks?

That might depend on what his role in the offense turns out to be. If Bentley is to become the Rebels' main man out of the backfield, it would defy modern convention to also send him out to return kicks. Bentley didn't do much this spring due to injury, and the Rebels brought in a pair of portal additions after spring practice in Rashas Amos and Henry Parrish Jr., making the picture at running back and ‒ by extension ‒ kick returner a bit unclear.

It should be noted, though, that Kiffin has been willing to allow his starting running back to return kicks. Jerrion Ealy, an outstanding kick returner, did so as the Rebels' lead back in 2020 and as part of a three-man rotation in 2021.

Settle some competitions in the Ole Miss football secondary

Ole Miss focused primarily on leveling up in the line of scrimmage this offseason, but it also executed an on-the-fly rebuild of its secondary. Ole Miss added three senior corners from power conference teams in Isaiah Hamilton, Brandon Turnage and Trey Amos. It also brought in a pair of players with considerable slot corner experience in Yam Banks and Key Lawrence. Indiana safety Louis Moore joined the group, too.

There are starting jobs up for grabs with Trey Washington serving as the Rebels' only returning regular in the secondary. That unit will have some notable position battles in preseason practice.

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Solidify a role for Suntarine Perkins

When Ole Miss was preparing to play Alabama last season, Kiffin said the only player on the Rebels' roster the Crimson Tide truly wanted was Suntarine Perkins, then a freshman.

It's easy to see why. He can play linebacker or on the edge. For now, though, it's not exactly clear where he fits.

The Rebels changed his official roster designation from linebacker to defensive end this summer. Is that indicative of a more specific role? And, if so, can he crack into a talented group of Ole Miss pass rushers to earn significant playing time?

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Lane Kiffn's most pressing Ole Miss football issues as preseason practice begins