Another offseason, another batch of elite transfers heading to play for Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss football. The Rebels landed 20 transfers this offseason and most of them will have a legit impact on the team in 2023.
There are also a number of incoming freshmen who will be pushing for early playing time, but I think the transfers have a much better chance to crack the two-deep.
Which newcomers will have the biggest impacts in 2023?
Ole Miss already has Ole Miss transfer Michael Trigg on the roster but the addition of Caden Prieskorn is only going to strengthen the position.
And he could also find himself as the top tight end on the roster this year.
While I really like what Trigg brings to the table and I believe he’ll still have a large role, Prieskorn was first-team All-AAC in his final season with Memphis in 2022. He brings a ton of experience and production to the table. He’s going to be a dream addition for Lane Kiffin.
Through his first two years with Memphis, Prieskorn didn’t have much of a role, catching just seven passes for 79 yards total but he broke out in year three. He finished the 2022 season with 48 catches for 602 yards and seven touchdowns.
I expect him to have a huge first season for the Rebels.
Louisville linebacker transfer Monty Montgomery is projected to start at linebacker for the Rebels this fall. He comes over from Louisville after a strong three-plus-year career with the Cardinals. He played in at least 10 games in 2019, 2020, and 2022 but only saw action in three games in 2022 as his season was cut short.
Montgomery is a productive linebacker who figured to start in the middle of that defense and he finished his Louisville career with 160 total tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, seven forced fumbles, three interceptions, and four pass breakups.
It’s easy to see why he was such a coveted transfer in the portal because he can do a little of everything. If you want him to cover a tight end or a receiver over the middle, he can do that. If you need him to work sideline-to-sideline to make plays, he can do that. And if you need him to blitz, he can do that, too.
The Rebels are going to utilize him in a variety of different ways this season. He’ll be a turnover machine (hopefully) and he’s going to potentially push for 100 tackles.
I don’t know if I’ve been living under a rock this summer, but I feel like the Zakhari Franklin transfer really flew under the radar and it’s still being underrated.
The UTSA receiver transfer hit the market this offseason and there were a number of major programs after him, but of course, Lane Kiffin was able to win him over. And he’s going to have a massive role in this offense.
Franklin’s career at UTSA was incredible.
In fact, he had over 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns on 81 catches in 2021 and then followed that up with 1,136 yards and 15 touchdowns on 94 receptions in 2022. He finished his career with the Roadrunners putting up 3,348 yards and 37 touchdowns on 262 catches. That’s the type of production any coach would salivate over from a transfer wideout.
Not only do I think Franklin is going to be the Rebels’ No. 1 receiver this season, but I think he’s going to be one of the best wideouts in the country with Jaxson Dart throwing him the ball.