Ole Miss and LSU in virtual elimination SEC game … It still only mid-season, but this game between SEC rivals Mississippi and LSU has all the deal of a CFP elimination game as both teams already have a loss and Saturday’s loser will pretty much have to run the table to have any chance at all to qualify for the 12-team CFP playoffs. And that won’t be easy against a tough SEC slate. It’s also a big game for Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart (#2, 6-2, 220), college football’s leading passer to date who averaged almost 400 yards per game the first month of the season, but has been under 300 in his last two starts, including that upset loss to Kentucky a couple of weeks ago. Dart, though, won’t be the only QB under the gun in this game as LSU’s Grant Nussmeier (#13, 6-2, 220) has also started to grab the attention of pro scouts after replacing Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels at the Tigers’ helm this fall. Dart, in particular, should benefit from the fact that he’ll be throwing to one of the fastest rising receivers in this year’s draft class in WR Tre Harris (#9, 6-2, 210), a big-play threat who is on pace to catch 82 passes this fall for close to 1,700 yards and is currently rated as a mid-to-late first round prospect, but with a high ceiling. The Rebels also feature a very good defensive front including DEs Jared Ivey (#5, 6-5, 285) and Princely Umanmielen (#1, 6-4, 255) and DT Walter Nolen (#2, 6-3, 305), once the #1 recruit in the country. Meanwhile, other Ole Miss players to watch include speedy WR Juice Wells (#3, 6-2, 205), LB Chris Paul (#11, 6-2, 235), TE Caden Prieskorn (#86, 6-5, 255), CB Trey Amos (#9, 6-0, 190), and safety Trey Washington (#25, 5-10, 205).
Needless to say, LSU won’t have quite the same impact on the upcoming draft as this past April when QB Jayden Daniels and WR Malik Nabers were both selected within the first half dozen picks and have emerged as the two best rookies in the NFL so far this fall. However, the Tigers will still be a force in 2025 as OT Will Campbell (#66, 6-5, 325) has top 10-15 potential. So did star DE/ER Harold Perkins, but he’ll likely be back at school next fall after tearing an ACL earlier this season. Back to the OL for a moment, LT Campbell combines with RT Emory Jones (#50, 6-5, 320), who has some late first round potential of his own, to give LSU the top 1-2 OT combination in the country. The Tigers also have decent replacements for WR Nabers in WRs CJ Daniels (#4, 6-1, 205), Zavion Thomas (#0, 5-10, 195) and Kyren Lacy (#2, 6-2, 195), although none of them have the kind of All-America skill of the guy they lost. For good measure, LSU also features one of the better young pass-catching TEs in the country in rising TE Mason Taylor (#86, 6-5, 255). And despite the loss of Perkins, the Tigers also have several intriguing prospects on the other side of the ball starting with DE Sai’vion Jones (#35, 6-3, 290) a freakish athlete with first round tools who has finally started to consistently produce like one with 4.5 sacks so far this fall., while Oregon transfer Braydn Swinson (#4, 6-3, 250) leads the team with 5. Meanwhile, other Tigers with later round grades include S Major Burns (#8, 6-2, 200), RB Josh Williams (#18, 5-9, 210), OG Miles Frazier (#70, 6-4, 325), DT Jalen Lee (#92, 6-2, 295) and CB Zy Alexander (#14, 6-1, 195).
