Ole Miss and head coach Lane Kiffin have already made a strong push through the transfer portal. The Rebels have signed major names like Antwane ‘Juice’ Wells from South Carolina, Walter Nolen from Texas A&M, Gerquan Scott from Southern Miss, and Chris Paul Jr. from Arkansas. However, they also lost their offensive centerpiece, running back Quinshon Judkins, who went via the portal and ended up at Ohio State University.
The Rebels have a lot to work on as well. Quarterback Jaxson Dart is returning, they just finished an 11-2 season, and Nick Saban has left the SEC West. But Ole Miss has not made the College Football Playoff since its existence, so adding to their roster makes a lot of sense.
The current round of college football head coaching changes has resulted in another wave of players entering the transfer site. Several players, in particular, stand out as viable prospects for Ole Miss to pursue.
Jonah Coleman, Running Back
With Quinshon Judkins leaving Oxford for Ohio State and backup Ulysses Bentley IV out of eligibility, Ole Miss will need to find another running back. Jonah Coleman, an Arizona running back, is most certainly the best player available at that position on the platform.
Coleman performed admirably for head coach Jedd Fisch and the Wildcats in 2023. Though his counting stats are not particularly impressive; he rushed for 871 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 6.8 yards per carry. He also grabbed 25 passes for 283 yards and one touchdown in the air. Coleman exploded onto the national stage with his breakout performance against the USC Trojans, in which he rushed for 143 yards on 22 rushes and caught four passes for 37 yards.
Coleman may not be a household name yet, but he can definitely play. Arizona’s running back workload was fairly evenly distributed among three players, but Coleman received more work and was more productive with it than the others. He is ready to take the next step as a player, which would mean joining a squad where he can play more.
It’s difficult to identify a club right now that needs a running back more than Ole Miss. While it is entirely possible that Coleman will follow Jedd Fisch to Seattle and transfer to the University of Washington, Lane Kiffin should do all in his power to ensure that Coleman ends up at Oxford instead.
Julian Sayin, Quarterback
Julian Sayin is another member of the Alabama program that has left since Nick Saban announced his retirement. Sayin is the third overall prospect in Alabama’s 2024 recruiting class, having enrolled in early January. Because he joined early, Sayin is unable to withdraw from his national letter of intent and must use the transfer site to find a new place to play.
With that said, why shouldn’t Ole Miss be considered? Lane Kiffin performed excellent work with quarterbacks while at Alabama. He helped Matt Corral be picked in the third round of the NFL Draft and has worked well with Jaxson Dart since Dart transferred from USC.
Dart has completed 63.75% of his passes at Ole Miss, averaging 8.8 yards per attempt, and has thrown for 6,338 yards, 43 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions in two seasons. Ole Miss began the 2022 season 8-1, the first year Dart played in Oxford, and concluded the 2023 season 11-2. That’s an environment in which a quarterback can grow and win.
Everyone will be after Sayin. Georgia and Notre Dame were allegedly at the top of his list before committing to Alabama. Ole Miss didn’t even make him an offer. However, there is a second opportunity for everything. After missing out on Arch Manning, Kiffin can secure Ole Miss’ future quarterback by finding a way to get Sayin in.
