Ranking Lane Kiffin's 5 most important Ole Miss football transfer portal additions for 2024

OXFORD — Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss football transfer portal class remains under construction, with the Rebels in the hunt for more talent as they look to crack the College Football Playoff in 2024.

Even with some more additions pending – and a recent wave of decommitments – the Rebels still claim the second-ranked transfer portal class in college football, according to the 247Sports rankings. So, among the players already in the fold, which ones are the key additions?

Considering Ole Miss' positional needs, ability and other factors, here are the five most important transfers committed to play for the Rebels.

5. Guard Gerquan Scott

Scott isn't the biggest name among the transfer additions for the Rebels so far, having arrived after a four-year career at Southern Miss. By virtue of his position, though, he's an important member of Kiffin's transfer class. A strong performer at guard during his career with the Golden Eagles, Scott brings over 30 games of starting experience to a spot where the Rebels are desperate for some improvement. With starter Quincy McGee out of eligibility, it was a big win for Ole Miss to land Scott's services over the likes of Auburn.

4. Wide receiver Juice Wells

Wells, who played the last two seasons for South Carolina, does not play a position of need for the Rebels. In fact, it's reasonable to wonder how Ole Miss is going to find snaps for all of its talented wide receivers with Wells and Deion Smith joining returning stars Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins. Still, a former All-SEC talent like Wells belongs on this list. He dealt with injuries and played just three games in 2023, but was truly outstanding in 2022, catching 68 passes for 928 yards and six touchdowns.

3. Offensive tackle Diego Pounds

There are few positions more important on a football field than left tackle, which is where Pounds, a North Carolina transfer, figures to line up for the Rebels. Set to replace the departing Victor Curne, Pounds was an elite pass-blocker during the 2023 season. Ole Miss needs better play from its offensive line to reach its goals in 2024, but more than anything it needs to protect its most important asset – quarterback Jaxson Dart.

2. Defensive end Princely Umanmielen

Umanmielen, a former Florida edge rusher, is among the players Kiffin will be counting on to make good on his promise that the Rebels' defense would match up better physically with top-tier opposition next season. He's an athletic freak at 6-4, 260 pounds, and is already proven at the SEC level, having earned second-team all-conference honors for his 2023 performance at Florida. With seven sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss last season, Umanmielen looks like a true difference-maker.

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1. Defensive lineman Walter Nolen

Nolen, a defensive lineman who played his first two seasons of college football at Texas A&M, is the easy choice. The top overall transfer portal player in this cycle according to 247Sports, Nolen is among the most physically imposing defensive linemen in college football. He's versatile, too, playing primarily as a defensive tackle but moonlighting as an end. He'll improve an Ole Miss interior that got pushed around by the best teams on its schedule in 2023.

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

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Lane Kiffin: Ole Miss football transfer portal additions ranked