Ole Miss returning players 2025: Top 5 players who will return to Lane Kiffin's squad ft. Logan Diggs

It was a slight downgrade of a season in 2024 for Lane Kiffins' Ole Miss Rebels. While they managed double-digit wins and an upset over then-No. 3 Georgia, they also had one more loss than they did in 2023, dropping from No. 9 in the AP Poll in 2023 to No. 11 a year later.

They failed to get into the College Football Playoff, which was Kiffin's express goal in 2024. It was mainly due to the way bids for the postseason tournament were assigned to conference champions, nonetheless, it was a disappointment.

Things look bleak for the Rebels in 2025, having lost First Team All-SEC quarterback Jaxson Dart, who left for the NFL. However, here are some returning players who could help Kiffin get into the CFP.

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Top three players who will return to Ole Miss in 2025

#5 Dae'Quan Wright - TE

Syndication: Florida Times-Union - Source: Imagn

Dae'Quan Wright was an important contributor in offense for Ole Miss in 2024, with the tight end recording 394 receiving yards, with four touchdown catches in 27 receptions. He averaged 14.6 yards per catch.

All of these were career-high marks. Those are especially good numbers when one considers that it was his first season in the SEC after transferring from the ACC's Virginia Tech Hokies.

#4 Diego Pounds - LT

NCAA Football: Kentucky at Mississippi - Source: Imagn

Diego Pounds played all 13 games for the Rebels last season, starting in the last nine, with 2024 being his first season in the SEC, having transferred from North Carolina.

He showed promise as a potentially successful player in the conference. His physique alone merits attention for 2025, as someone with his amount of experience while standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 340 pounds is a tool on any SEC offensive line.

#3 Jayden Williams - LT

NCAA Football: Mississippi at Wake Forest - Source: Imagn

Physical issues aside, Williams was the best offensive lineman for the Rebels when he was healthy in 2024.

At 6-foot-4 and 315 pounds, he has physical presence. However, he could only start in the non-conference games and the Egg Bowl at the end of the season due to a meniscus surgery that sidelined him for two months. Will 2025 be his year?

#2 Akelo Stone - DT

NCAA Football: Furman at Mississippi - Source: Imagn

Akelo Stone had six solo tackles, eight tackle assists and 1.5 sacks in 2024. That's lower than his contribution in his first season with Ole Miss, when he had 12 solo tackles, 15 tackle assists, 2.5 sacks and one forced fumble.

However, it's undeniable that Stone a highly experienced defensive tackle who could be a great asset for the school in his final year of eligibility. Through five seasons of football between Georgia Tech and Ole Miss, he has 58 tackles (26 solo), three pass deflections, six sacks and one forced fumble.

#1 Logan Diggs - RB

NCAA Football: Army at Louisiana State - Source: Imagn

Logan Diggs was the biggest transfer for Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss Rebels in 2024, one the program couldn't enjoy after the player suffered an ACL injury in January 2024.

Diggs spent all season recovering and only played the Gator Bowl against Duke in a limited fashion. He had 653 yards with LSU in 2023 and 821 with Notre Dame in 2022. The expectation is that he will join the 1000-yard club in 2025.