Ole Miss football look every bit the part of a sleeper team in the SEC in 2024. They were very active during the offseason and landed players like Walter Nolen, Chris Paul Jr., and Princely Umanmielen in the transfer portal. Their incoming 2024 recruiting class also ranks 21st in the nation, via 247Sports.
Perhaps more important than either of those two components are the players that Ole Miss returns for the 2024 season. Some of those players include Jaxson Dart and Tre Harris, who are capable of leading the Rebels to the College Football Playoffs.
Jaxson Dart is best quarterback in SEC
When canvassing quarterbacks across the SEC, Jaxson Dart has a case to be ranked highest among them. Carson Beck of Georgia likely owns that mantle for many, but Dart is right there with the likes of Quinn Ewers and others. Dart ranked fifth among returning SEC quarterbacks in QBR last season according to ESPN.com. The only others ahead of him were Beck, Ewers, Jalen Milroe, and Brady Cook.
In addition to his solid QBR a year ago, Dart's statistics were solid across the board in 2023, improving in nearly every category. Dart posted career-highs in completion percentage (65.1%), yards (3,364), yards per attempt (9.4), and touchdowns (23). The 162.4 quarterback rating he totaled was also the best of his three-year college career.
Dart should only be even better with another year in head coach Lane Kiffin's system. That will especially be the case with the new weapons the Rebels are bringing in through the portal. South Carolina wide receiver Juice Wells, Florida Atlantic's Devin Price, and North Texas' Jordan Smart are three additional experienced targets for Dart to target. That's also the case with former Virginia Tech tight end Dae'Quan Wright.
Dart is set up for another great season in Oxford. Him returning to Ole Miss is massive for the Rebels' playoff hopes in 2024.
Ole Miss has sleeper receiver in Tre Harris
One of the better but more unheralded receivers in college football is also returning to Ole Miss for the 2024 season. That would be Tre Harris, who transferred to Oxford from Louisiana Tech in 2023. Harris made the most of his first season in the SEC by hauling in 54 receptions for 985 yards and eight touchdowns.
Harris has all the tools anybody would want out of a wide receiver. He's big at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, with the ability to win contested catches. Harris is also quick and nimble enough to gain separation and win just about everywhere on the field. He has the complete package which could make him a high draft pick during the 2025 NFL Draft.
Harris may take a bit of a step backward in role and in 2024, however. Wells is an outstanding receiver in his own right who should help form a dynamic duo with Harris. But his arrival could help unlock Harris even further and help pave the way for a career season for him. Those are two are going to give every team in the SEC a ton of trouble.
Ole Miss is going to be a team to be reckoned with in 2024. They finished the 2023 season ninth in the AP Poll and with a win over Penn State in the Peach Bowl. They'll have their work cut out for them in the crucible that is the SEC, but another season like that could see them make the expanded College Football Playoff. If Ole Miss makes it, they'll have returning players like Dart and Harris to thank.
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