OXFORD ― Ole Miss football transfer portal addition Juice Wells participated enough early in preseason practice to raise eyebrows.

More recently, though, he hasn't done much during practice periods open to the media. Wells has been off to the side wearing a black non-contact jersey for most viewing periods.

"I would put him in that category of portal players ... that we're really anticipating getting to full strength who are not there right now," Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said. "That would be him and Princely (Umanmielen)."

Kiffin did not specify what exactly is ailing Wells, who arrived in Oxford this offseason after spending two seasons at South Carolina. Struggling with an injured foot, Wells appeared in three games in 2023 for the Gamecocks. The season prior, he earned second-team All-SEC recognition, catching 68 passes for 928 yards with six touchdowns.

Wells, listed at 6-foot, 205 pounds, figures to start alongside stars Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins at wideout for the Rebels. Watkins had also spent much of the first two weeks of practice off to the side with the injured players, but was seen doing drills on Monday — albeit in a non-contact jersey.

"You still have probably two significant portal players with injuries that we expect to be significant pieces to this season," Kiffin said, referencing Wells and Umanmielen. "Looking forward to getting them back here shortly."

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Umanmielen said last week that he's not partaking in any drills related to physical contact, but doesn't expect his injury to be one that keeps him from playing when the Rebels open their season against Furman on Aug. 31.

Wells is part of a wide receiver room that might be the deepest in the country. The Rebels added Utah State transfer Micah Davis, an honorable-mention All-Mountain West performer last season, to their roster officially last week. He joins talented underclassmen Ayden Williams and Cayden Lee among the presumptive reserves. Ole Miss could also still add Deion Smith, the top junior college recruit in the country for the 2024 cycle, to its roster ahead of the opener.

"With the guys we have in this room, it's unstoppable," Lee said Monday. "You can't double anybody because they'll just go to somebody else. The passing game is definitely going to be a big part of our offense this year."

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: Juice Wells injury: Lane Kiffin updates Ole Miss football WR's recovery