Four under-the-radar things Ole Miss football must get right in 2023

We've dissected the Ole Miss football quarterback room. We've analyzed the changes Lane Kiffin made to his coaching staff. We've broken down the transfer portal's comings and goings.

So, what about what lies underneath the heavy pile of offseason talking points?

With less than two months remaining until Ole Miss football kicks off its 2023 season against Mercer, here are four under-the-radar things that must go right for the Rebels to have a successful campaign.

1. On defense, the Rebels must be quick learners

Defensive improvement is paramount for Ole Miss if it hopes to compete in the upper tier of the SEC in 2023. That's been discussed plenty, especially after Kiffin overhauled his defensive staff and system with the hiring of former Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding.

What hasn't been discussed as frequently is how vital it is that the Ole Miss defense makes a quick adjustment to its new four-man front system, because the schedule dictates the Rebels aren't going to get much time to learn on the fly.

After an FCS tune-up against Mercer, the Rebels hit the road to play Tulane, the defending Cotton Bowl champion and preseason favorite to win the American Athletic Conference. Two weeks later, Ole Miss heads to Alabama before hosting LSU.

Given that frontloaded schedule, we'll know where this Ole Miss season is heading when many of college football's major powers are just wrapping up their early season cupcake tasting. And the Rebels won't pass those tests with a defense still in flux. Quick transition is key.

2. Someone must emerge as an effective partner to Quinshon Judkins

A true freshman phenom, Quinshon Judkins led the SEC in rushing yards with 1,567 last season. He also led the conference in carries with 274 ‒ 42 more than the next closest running back ‒ despite accounting for just 44.6% of Ole Miss' rushing attempts.

The Ole Miss offense has been top five in plays per game since Kiffin arrived in 2020. Because of that, operating without quality backfield depth ‒ especially at the rate the Rebels ran the ball last season ‒ would be difficult.

Whether it's a finally healthy Ulysses Bentley IV or freshman Kedrick Reescano, Ole Miss needs someone to be the Robin to Judkins' Batman. Otherwise, the Rebels risk exhausting their superhero.

3. The Rebels must translate potential into production at tight end

With Jonathan Mingo and Malik Heath both departing, Ole Miss enters the 2023 season without a wideout on the roster who has exceeded 600 receiving yards at the Power Five level. The Rebels added a pair of experienced options out of Conference USA in Tre Harris and Zakhari Franklin. Jordan Watkins flashed in spots last season in a tertiary role. And there are a handful of youngsters, including exciting true freshman Ayden Williams, who could emerge. Still, the receiver room feels like it's full of lottery tickets at the moment rather than known commodities.

A potential failsafe for that unit exists at tight end, where Ole Miss has a similar talent stockpile despite the absence of SEC-proven producers.

Michael Trigg is the definition of a matchup nightmare, but didn't really show it last year due to a mixture of unavailability and ineffectiveness. Transfer portal addition Caden Prieskorn demonstrated his own talent last season at Memphis, where he racked up 602 receiving yards and seven touchdowns before making the leap to college football's top conference.

Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart said this spring that the Rebels will mix in more two-tight-end personnel to get both of those guys on the field at once. If they produce in the passing game, they'll go a long way toward answering one of the offense's key preseason questions.

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4. Ole Miss must improve on special teams

Evaluating special teams is tricky when we're talking about one of Kiffin's teams, with the Ole Miss coach often leaning on emerging analytics instead of tried-and-true conventional thinking many coaches seem to favor. In other words: He kicks less than his peers.

Still, by any metric, the Rebels' special teams were a detriment last season, ranked 99th out of 131 teams in Football Outsiders' Special Teams FEI Ratings.

As such, that seems like an item that should reside near the top of the list of places where Ole Miss can improve in the margins.

Perhaps Kiffin thought so, too. He hired Arkansas State's Jake Schoonover to lead the Rebels' special teams unit this offseason. Schoonover headed the second-best special teams group last season, according to the same FEI ratings.

If some of that success can translate, Ole Miss will be in a much better place.

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Here's what Ole Miss football, Lane Kiffin must get right in 2023