OXFORD ― Lane Kiffin threw a curveball.

At an alumni event in Memphis earlier this month, the Ole Miss football coach and revered offensive mind was asked which position group excited him the most heading into 2024. He didn't choose the wide receivers, a group loaded with NFL-caliber talent, or the quarterback room ‒ home to a top-10 preseason Heisman Trophy candidate in Jaxson Dart and as much depth behind him as Kiffin could ask for.

Instead, Kiffin made a selection inconsistent with his high-octane brand.

"I would say the D-line, because we really haven't had a premier D-line since we've been here, and so we have a chance to have a mix of guys that really could be high NFL picks up there," Kiffin said.

The Rebels made a pair of game-changing transfer portal additions to their defensive front over the offseason, landing Texas A&M transfer Walter Nolen and Florida edge rusher Princely Umanmielen.

Nolen, the No. 3 player in the portal this offseason according to 247Sports and a former five-star recruit, pairs a 6-foot-4, 290-pound frame with elite athleticism, giving the Rebels a dominant interior presence. Umanmielen offers similar physicality. At 6-5, 255 pounds, Umanmielen picked up seven sacks in 12 games last season on his way to second team All-SEC recognition.

The Rebels also added All-Conference USA edge rusher Chris Hardie from Jacksonville State and highly rated freshman Kam Franklin to pair with productive returners like Jared Ivey and JJ Pegues. Interestingly, former five-star recruit and freshman standout Suntarine Perkins is listed as a defensive end on the 2024 roster. He played most of his snaps on the edge last season despite being labeled a linebacker

"In this conference, that's a total game changer – any conference, but especially here," Kiffin said of his defensive line talent. "... We saw at Georgia last year the impact that can have."

Not for the first time, Kiffin referenced last year's game at Georgia as one of the driving forces behind his desire to add size in the trenches this offseason. The Rebels got pummeled on the line on both sides of the ball in that 52-17 defeat.

The performance of Ole Miss' pash rush in that game was particularly eyebrow-raising. The Rebels pressured Georgia quarterback Carson Beck just three times on 64 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, and never hit him.

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With the Bulldogs coming to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Nov. 9, the Rebels have a chance to show their progress.

"I'm excited that if they develop like they should, we can really look good on defense up front, which really has not been the case since we've been here or the previous years before," Kiffin said.

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 most excited by this Ole Miss football position group in 2024