Ole Miss lost its second- and third-leading tacklers Mike Hilton and Trae Elston. In a secondary that took its share of hits – the Rebels ranked next to last in the SEC in pass defense – losing that production could be considered a cloud on the future.

With the way the depth chart is shaking up, it can also mean the future has arrived early in the Rebels’ secondary. How bright the future is depends on how quickly some freshmen grow up.

True freshmen Myles Hartsfield and Deontay Anderson find themselves battling for the No. 1 and 2 Rover spots, No. 2 open after junior C.J. Moore’s surgery to repair a torn pec. Sophomore Zedrick Woods looks to have settled in as starting free safety in a battle with junior C.J. Hampton. Redshirt freshman Armani Linton is in that mix.

The elder corners consist of senior Tony Bridges and junior Kendarius Webster, who combined last season for 4 INTs, 20 pass breakups and 24 deflections. And Huskie Tony Conner is the household name.

The young group, including redshirt freshman Huskie Montrell Custis, has more than one time referred to their own group as the deepest on the team. That said, the aforementioned names combined for 35 starts last season. Thirty of those belonged to Bridges and Webster, five to Conner before shutting it down.

They’ll be trying to prove that skill early on a pretty level playing field, against quarterbacks anyway. In the opener against Florida State, Seminoles redshirt freshman Deondre Francois is making his first start. It could be the same scenario against true freshman Jalen Hurts against Alabama and against Jacob Eason and Georgia on Sept. 24.

The receivers are a different story. Florida State returns its top three receivers – Kermit Whitfield, Jesus Wilson and Travis Rudolph – who last season posted 57, 58 and 59 catches, more than 2,300 yards and 16 touchdowns. Alabama returns its top three receivers in Calvin Ridley, ArDarius Stewart and O.J. Howard. Georgia got back second-leading receiver, sophomore Terry Godwin.

The potential combination of young quarterbacks vs. young secondary, but with some of the country’s best receivers is a great proving ground for Ole Miss.

Ole Miss ranked second in the conference with 15 interceptions but 10th or worse defending pass plays of 10, 20, 30 and 40 yards.

Against the likes of Leonard Fournette, that could be a design for disaster as talented running backs could also test the secondary. In two of the first four games, the group will be tasked with tackling backs who are bound to reach that level on occasion, Sony Michel (maybe) and Nick Chubb for Georgia after Dalvin Cook on Labor Day.

By the end of September, Ole Miss will know a lot about its young secondary but will be nowhere near out of the fire. Games at LSU and at Texas A&M will be against an experienced Brandon Harris and Trevor Knight, and both have some of the top receivers in the conference at their disposal.

Whether Ole Miss rises or falls in the September polls will have a lot to do with guys taking their first SEC snaps.