College football is finally here. Every team ranked inside the AP top 25 poll played this weekend. That includes the Ole Miss football Rebels, who are ranked 22nd. Their matchup against FCS school Mercer wasn't the most notable game of the Week 1 slate. But it did serve as a nice warm-up game for their Week 2 contest against the Tulane Green Wave, who are also ranked inside the top 25 with a ranking of 24.

Mercer was no match for Ole Miss. The Bears were 35-point underdogs heading into the game. They lost by nearly double that spread; the final score was Ole Miss 73, Mercer 7. But that doesn't mean there isn't anything to learn about Ole Miss after their Week 1 triumph. A lot of players stood out for them and saw their stock rise. Three, in particular, stood out more than the others.

3) Tre Harris

Tre Harris made his Ole Miss football debut this week, and it did not disappoint. Harris began his career at Louisiana Tech. His first two seasons were fairly nondescript; he totaled 41 receptions for 592 yards and four touchdowns through two years at Ruston. But he emerged as a junior. Harris hauled in 62 receptions for 935 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022.

Looking for a bigger spotlight, Harris hit the transfer portal and landed in Ole Miss. It makes sense; Ole Miss has been a mini factory producing NFL receivers. The likes of those NFL receivers include; AJ Brown, DK Metcalf, Elijah Moore, Van Jefferson, and Jonathan Mingo. After Ole Miss lost Mingo (a second-round pick by the Carolina Panthers) and Malik Heath (an undrafted free agent picked up by the Green Bay Packers), they needed a receiver. They and Tre Harris were a perfect marriage.

That marriage is already producing dividends. Harris balled out in his Ole Miss football debut. He caught six balls, gained 133 yards, and scored four touchdowns. His first three receptions all went for scores, and those all came within the first 3:15 of game time.

Tre Harris put himself on the map this week. He's someone to watch in next week's tilt against Tulane.

2) Quinshon Judkins

Zach Evans was a big get for Ole Miss football when he transferred there last season. He was a former five-star recruit who averaged over seven yards a carry through his first two seasons at TCU. But Quinshon Judkins wasn't bothered by the competition. Judkins drastically outproduced Evans. Judkins handled 130 more carries (274) than Evans (144), ran for 631 yards (1,567) than Evans (936), and caught three more passes (15) than Evans (12). Judkins did all this as a freshman while Evans was a junior.

Zach Evans is gone now and with the Los Angeles Rams, so the Ole Miss backfield is almost all Judkins'. Judkins was back to doing his thing. He handled 13 carries for 60 yards and two touchdowns while snagging two receptions for 11 yards.

It wasn't a dominant performance by Judkins, but still a very good one. He was already the number one back a year ago but should have even more of a stranglehold on the position this year for the Rebels. He will continue to put up big numbers.

1) Jaxson Dart

Jaxson Dart was a hot commodity in the 2021 recruiting class. According to ESPN, Dart was ranked as the 20th-best prospect in the class and only three spots behind USC superstar quarterback Caleb Williams. USC fans hoped that Dart would be their superstar quarterback when he committed there, but it didn't work out. Once USC hired Lincoln Riley as their head coach and Riley brought Williams with him, there wasn't room for Dart, so he transferred to Ole Miss football to link up with another former USC Trojan in Lane Kiffin.

Dart's first Ole Miss season was good, but could've been better. He completed 62.4% of his passes, threw for 2,974 yards and 20 touchdowns. But he also threw 11 interceptions. Ole Miss brought in another quarterback transfer in Spencer Sanders, formerly of Oklahoma State, to compete with Dart this offseason. Dart eventually won out and started Week 1.

The competition looks to have brought the best out of Dart. Dart went 18-23 for 334 yards and four touchdowns. His poise and ball placement was terrific all day.

Yes, it was only Mercer. But Dart looked great. His stock, as well as Quinshon Judkins' and Tre Harris' stock, is on the rise for a pivotal matchup next week against a tough Tulane team.