With less than two weeks till the start of the 2022 NCAA Football season, it's time to look at some of the candidates for the year's breakthrough prospects. For their part, the Ole Miss Rebels have more than a few potential standouts.

After being one of the season's surprises last year, the Rebels lost a lot of players for the coming year. The big question, then, is who will emerge to restore their dominance in 2022. Which ones will emerge as Ole Miss football breakout players?

Under Matt Corral's powerful arm and the strong running of Jerrion Ealy, Snoop Conner, and Henry Parrish Jr., the Rebels finished 10-3 overall and 6-2 in the SEC last year. On the other hand, the Rebels' defense lacked a lot. They ranked 97th nationally in total yards allowed, 51st in scoring, and 105th against the run.

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has the tools necessary to alter all of that, and he is aiming to do it in 2022. Here are several players that may shine and lead the Rebels back to 10-plus victories in the coming season.

3 Ole Miss breakout stars set for monster 2022 seasons in SEC

3. Zach Evans

Ole Miss fans are extremely confident that Zach Evans will go off under a Lane Kiffin offense.

With almost 1,000 yards of rushing and nine touchdowns on more than 7.0 yards per carry for Texas Christian University, the former five-star running back has had an unusual start to his collegiate career. However, his TCU head coach, Gary Patterson, opted to leave the program in search of a better opportunity.

Evans then leaped at the chance to join that powerful offense in Ole Miss and take the place of Jerrion Ealy, Henry Parrish Jr., and Snoop Conner. Evans will have to carry the weight because the backfield's top three rushers are all no longer there. He has more than enough talent, though, to put up some outrageous statistics.

Evans has only carried the ball 146 times for 1,063 yards and 9 touchdowns in his career. He'll easily surpass those totals in 2022 alone. Pundits strongly believe he will dominate the SEC when he approaches the 1,500-yard threshold with a big workload. He may have made a name for himself in TCU, but just watch out for what he should do in 2022.

2. Jaxson Dart

Jaxson Dart's old USC head coach departed the team, and like Zach Evans, he made the decision to use the transfer portal. Additionally, he seized at the chance to take over quarterback duties from Matt Corral and the highly regarded Rebels under coach Kiffin. Dart was among the top options available, and Kiffin took notice.

Dart was a previous top-100 recruit, and he had high expectations of developing into USC's next great quarterback before significant changes shook the school. He determined that joining a college where he would probably be a QB1 straight away was his best course of action.

Ole Miss made it available.

After being thrown in with the wolves to take over for an injured Kedon Slovis, Dart had a strong performance in his debut season at USC. He completed just over 61 percent of his passes while passing for 1,353 yards, nine touchdowns, and five interceptions.

Dart should have an even greater year now that he is a part of an Ole Miss offense that will play to his strengths. Coach Kiffin should let him air the ball out while also showcasing his agility. His stat line will probably include over 3,000 throwing yards, 25 touchdowns, and fewer than 10 interceptions.

1. Michael Trigg

Another former USC Trojan, Michael Trigg demonstrated this spring that he will play a significant role in the Rebels' 2022 plans.

In the summer transfer portal, Trigg was the No. 2 tight end, just behind former Alabama tight end Jahleel Billingsley. He made the decision to join his former USC QB Jaxson Dart at Ole Miss.

Out of high school, Trigg initially made a commitment to USC as a four-star recruit and the No. 4 tight end according. He had offers from a number of prestigious schools, including Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State, in addition to USC.

It's understandable why Ole Miss thinks Michael Trigg has the potential to be a star. After all, he caught two touchdown passes and two two-point conversion passes at the annual spring game.

Coach Kiffin even praised Trigg after just a few spring sessions. The thought that the redshirt freshman still had his entire college career ahead of him astounded Kiffin.

“I don’t, like, tell him this, because everybody says this and has probably told him this forever,” Kiffin said. “His potential’s unbelievable. His catching radius and balance and body control, they don’t make many like that in the world. He’s done great things already.”

After signing Trigg, Kiffin referred to the player as a “dynamic mismatch issue.”

The Rebels' season opener is against Troy at home on September 3. All three potential Ole Miss football breakout players should make an impact then.