Expectations should remain high in Oxford. The Rebels went 10-3 (6-2 SEC) last season before they fell to Baylor in the Sugar Bowl.

A reason for that is the Rebels’ work in the transfer portal. One of their new additions is former 4-star tight end Michael Trigg. Trigg spent one season at Southern Cal before heading to Oxford.

New teammate Jonathan Mingo offered some high praise. The wide receiver compared Trigg to former Florida tight end Kyle Pitts.

Pitts was an All-American with the Gators and won the John Mackey Award, given annually to college football’s best tight end. He just came off a rookie season with the Falcons in which he caught 68 balls for 1,026 yards and a touchdown.

Coach Lane Kiffin pumped the brakes on that kind of comparison.

“Mingo’s not exactly a personnel director. I wouldn’t call him Kyle Pitts right now,” said Kiffin, per On3 Sports. ” He’s got a lot of talent. He does have height, weight, speed, (and) hand combination to be a great player but he’s got a long ways to go.

Trigg caught just 7 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown over 4 games with the Trojans. Pitts caught 97 passes for 1,419 yards and seven touchdowns over his final 2 seasons in Gainesville.

Trigg is just a sophomore, so he has some time to prove his worth.

“Some of these guys we think they’re older than they are because they transfer, but he just finished his true freshman year, Kiffin said. “(He’s) got a very high ceiling. There’s a lot of very talented players out there so there’s a lot of work to be a great player. I would not call him Kyle Pitts.”