It seems almost unfathomable that a team could lose two All-Americans from a single position group and still be set at that position for the coming season.

However, that’s the exact situation the Ole Miss Rebels find themselves in following the departures of All-American defensive backs Senquez Golson and Cody Prewitt for the NFL.

Golson led the SEC and was second in the nation with 10 interceptions last season, earning him consensus All-America honors. Prewitt earned All-America honors in 2013 and All-SEC honors each of the last two seasons.

Yet the Rebels’ secondary remains loaded with talent even as it aims to replace its two brightest stars from 2014, when the team’s Landshark defense led the nation in points allowed per contest.

So how is Ole Miss keeping its secondary afloat upon losing more talent than any other secondary in the FBS? The answer is simple: depth.

Like any other prominent program, Ole Miss has recruited well at the defensive back positions, allowing the Rebels to maintain a next man up mantra that traditional powers like Alabama and LSU use to remain relevant on an annual basis. Depth at those positions allows those three-stars a chance to gain their bearings at the college level rather than forcing them to learn on the job in a prominent role in the lineup.

For example, Trae Elston was a 2012 three-star signee who started nine games at safety as a freshman. But thanks to a player like Prewitt, he was a modest role player on the defense with margin for error and an ability to learn by doing without costing his team in a major way.

Mike Hilton is another three-star prospect from the 2012 class, Freeze’s first at Ole Miss. He eased his way into the lineup as a freshman and assumed a full-time starting role as a sophomore in 2013 all while playing opposite Golson.

As Prewitt and Golson were emerging out of the young, inexperienced phases of their careers and into the stardom they’d enjoy as upperclassmen, Elston and Hilton entered the program as young, inexperienced talents continuing the circle of life in the Rebels’ secondary. The formula has worked through Freeze’s first four seasons, and it’ll pay major dividends this fall as Ole Miss plays without two of its greatest defensive backs of all-time.

Of course, recruiting a star never hurts, and that’s exactly what Ole Miss did in 2013 when it added Tony Conner to its secondary.

Conner was one of four five-star signees in Ole Miss’ 2013 class, and he made an immediate impact as the most versatile member of the Rebels’ defensive backfield. The man who has filled Ole Miss’ huskie position since his freshman season (when he earned freshman All-America honors) can play in the box like a linebacker or deep in coverage like a traditional safety.

He’s entering his junior season this fall and is poised to become a potential All-SEC performer by season’s end. Hilton and Elston have the experience as “program players” who grew and developed during their first three years on campus, but Conner has the raw talent and two full years of starting experience. He’ll do a little bit of everything, and he’ll be the one making plays when the Rebels defense needs it most.

Lastly, the Rebels have recruited well at the junior college level to further supplement their depth. The state of Mississippi plays host to one of the nation’s premier junior college leagues, and Freeze has mined the league for talent since he arrived in Oxford.

Junior college players bring new life and new energy to a team, but are also already two years into their post-high school development. They’re bigger and stronger than high school recruits and more familiar with the physical toll a college football season can take on one’s body. They’re often ready to contribute right away, and Ole Miss has made the most of its junior college signees.

The Rebels have recruited the nation’s top junior college cornerback each of the last two years, and both players are expected to play major roles this fall.

Tee Shepard was signed as a member of the team’s 2014 class, but an offseason toe injury kept him out of the lineup all of last season. Tony Bridges was this year’s No. 1 junior college corner, and he’ll be expected to compete for a starting job right away as well.

Between those two and Hilton, Ole Miss has three corners capable of starting for most teams in the FBS, and this is after losing the conference’s interceptions leader from a year ago.

And between Elston and Conner, Ole Miss returns two safeties with a combined five years of starting experience, not to mention Conner’s star-like versatility. Again, the Rebels are set at a position that had been led by a two-time all-conference performer as recently as last season.

Replacing talent in this manner is not a right; it’s a privilege only the nation’s elite programs can enjoy. Freeze has turned Ole Miss into one of those programs, and his 2015 secondary is only one example of that fact.