Austin Simmons headlines Ole Miss Rebels wildly impressive group of breakout candidates ahead of 2025 college football season
Lane Kiffin is going to have a completely different set of playmakers on his 2025 Ole Miss Rebels football team.11 players from the 2024 roster are attending the 2025 NFL Combine and will likely be drafted this spring, including Rebels' record-setting quarterback Jaxson Dart. Nearly the entire starting secondary will be new faces. So much […]
Lane Kiffin is going to have a completely different set of playmakers on his 2025 Ole Miss Rebels football team.
11 players from the 2024 roster are attending the 2025 NFL Combine and will likely be drafted this spring, including Rebels' record-setting quarterback Jaxson Dart. Nearly the entire starting secondary will be new faces. So much has changed. But who are the most important breakout candidates for Ole Miss fans to watch for this spring?
Let's dive into the best of the bunch who should be the stars to make or break the 2025 college football season for the Rebels.
Austin Simmons, Quarterback
This one shouldn't come as a surprise given the importance of the quarterback position, but Austin Simmons could be much more than just the most important breakout player for Ole Miss this year. If he's good (or bad) enough, Simmons might just be the most important breakout player in the country. His play could in fact decide the SEC championship (he's that special, despite the inexperience).
If Lane Kiffin can somehow come anywhere near replacing Jaxson Dart's wildly impressive and efficient production with Austin Simmons that could completely change the landscape of the SEC. And on the limited sample that we saw last season, Simmons very well might just immediately become the best starting quarterback in the SEC. He throws a ridiculously nice deep ball, and impressed every time he stepped onto the field last season.
Many Ole Miss fans will remember his scoring drive against Georgia that sparked the blowout win over Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs while Jaxson Dart was temporarily sidelined with an ankle injury. That was impressive enough, but he also tossed beautiful passes against Furman, Arkansas, and Duke in limited action too.
Simmons, a former high four star recruit who reclassified, getting to college two years early thanks to his unbelievable genius and special athletic talent, was already one of the most efficient passers in the SEC last year, averaging nearly 9 yards per pass attempt in his small sample of 32 passes. If he can flash a little bit of his mobility to go along with his accuracy Ole Miss might have a truly special season.
Luke Hasz, Tight End
There are five new transfer wide receivers for Ole Miss fans to familiarize themselves with, but most of them have already broken out in big ways at other schools. Between those five, a couple of them will hit alongside Cayden Lee. However, Luke Hasz at tight end has the best chance to be what sends the Ole Miss offense over the top.
Hasz has been making fun plays averaging nearly 14 yards per reception ever since he broke out as a true freshman at Arkansas. His dynamic route running ability and ball skills could make him the best mismatch problem on the team.
Luke Hasz is a much more impressive athlete than Caden Prieskorn (who caught 27 receptions for the Rebels last year). If given the opportunity, Hasz could prove to be a vertical threat at tight end on top of being a go-to friendly option underneath for new quarterback, Austin Simmons.
Da'Shawn Womack, Edge Defender
The LSU Tigers were pretty set at edge and defensive line last season, so Da'Shawn Womack (former five star recruit) wasn't called upon to play a crazy amount of snaps, but he impressed when he was on the field. Womack's twitchy athleticism and length allowed him to create pressure on nearly 20% of his pass rush attempts, putting him immediately in rare territory.
Now that he's transferred to play for Lane Kiffin, he should be asked to a play role similar to that of Princely Umanmielen and/or Jared Ivey this upcoming season, and Womack should star right away. At 6'5", 260 pounds Womack looks to be more explosive than Princely Umanmielen and more flexible than Jared Ivey. He isn't a household name yet, but he will be.
Honorable Mentions
Caleb Cunningham, the crown jewel of Lane Kiffin's 2025 recruiting class and five star wide receiver, will be hard-pressed to steal a starting role in year one given all the experience in front of him. Fans will want him to become Tre Harris right away, but they may have to wait. However, don't count out a late-season breakout if any of the transfer wide receivers disappoint.
It might seem impossible to replace the special talent of Chris Paul Jr., but Jaden Yates could be up to the task. He's already had a "breakout" season, but most people don't know it because it came with Marshall last year. Yates tallied 120 tackles for a Marshall team that surprisingly went 10-3 last fall. That success, at least on defense, could in many cases be attributed to Yates himself.
Then lastly, Princewill Umanmielen, the younger brother of Princely and a transfer from Nebraska, will at the very least be leaned upon this year in a change-of-pace pass rush role. He might not break out as the ultimate star for Ole Miss right away, but he possesses a lot of the same physical traits that made his brother special for the Rebels.
Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss Rebels on verge of flipping top tier four star defensive recruit from SEC rival as he sets visits
Lane Kiffin on verge of flipping important defensive recruit
We'll be back with more Ole Miss Rebels coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
And if you want to get excited about the Austin Simmons era at quarterback just check out some of his highlights from this past 2024 college football season with Ole Miss.
