Ole Miss didn’t finish the 2022 season quite the way it wanted to, ending on a sour note with 2 consecutive losses to Arkansas and Mississippi State.

Once projected to be a potential contender for the College Football Playoff early in the season, this one instead is now in the books outside of the upcoming Texas Bowl against Texas Tech.

In addition to it being bowl season, it’s also transfer portal and recruiting season, areas that head coach Lane Kiffin has had plenty of success in over recent years.

Here’s a look at 5 positions Ole Miss could potentially target in the transfer portal moving forward in the offseason:

1. Wide receiver

The Rebels have found some solid pieces at this position in the portal previously, with former Mississippi State wideout Malik Heath standing out perhaps the most this season. Heath finished the year with 52 receptions for 834 yards, an average of 16 yards per catch, and 4 touchdowns. Jonathan Mingo has emerged as a player who could be a Day 1 starter in the NFL and will depart after accepting an invite to the Senior Bowl. The Rebels could use more solidified talent at receiver with Mingo out of the fold, with the passing game trying to open up more as quarterback Jaxson Dart develops and gains more experience.

2. Tight end

This is a position Ole Miss is thin at, and it’s not evident just how consistently effective USC transfer Michael Trigg will be after we didn’t get a chance to see much of him due to an unfortunate injury early in the season. And regardless of what Trigg brings to the table in his own right, this is a position the Rebels could stand to pad, with some solid options emerging in the portal who are more than worth kicking the tires on.

3. Offensive line

This group did a solid job in run-blocking (hello, No. 3 rushing offense in the nation), but at times it had some issues with pass-blocking. The unit came into the season without a wealth of experience, with Nick Broeker, Caleb Warren, Eli Acker, Jeremy James and Mason Brooks serving as the only real seasoned players along the line. Obviously, everyone else remaining in Oxford now has another season under their belts. But this is an area where it would be helpful to add a more veteran presence and continue to build depth.

4. Defensive back

One of the areas Kiffin frequently took issue with this season was tackling in the secondary that needed to improve and was an issue on more occasions to be comfortable with. Allowing too many explosive plays was a difference-maker in the outcome of some of the games Ole Miss was favored to win that its ground attack on the other side of the ball could not fully bail the Rebels out. Defensive back is an area Ole Miss can stand to add to, and there are several proven tacklers currently in the portal between G5 safeties, cornerbacks looking to perform on a bigger stage and P5 players looking for a more expanded role.

Depth was a concern before this season for this group and there is still more to be added, especially considering the team’s lackluster performance against the pass. AJ Finley was the standout of this group, but his absence after he had injury issues was noticeable, and he’s expected to be an NFL Draft prospect to watch in 2023, as is safety Otis Reese. That means Ole Miss will lose a few of its better players here.

5. Defensive line

There were plenty of quibbles about the defense throughout the season, and there’s work to be done all over to improve a unit that finished ranked 69th in the nation in total defense, surrendering an average of 5.31 yards per play and 379.8 yards per game. The Rebels gave up 36 opposing touchdowns and got gashed on the ground too many times. They ended the season with the 82nd-ranked rushing defense in the country, giving up 1,942 rushing yards. Ole Miss allowed an average of 4.2 yards per rush, 161.8 rushing yards per game and 15 total rushing touchdowns.

Everything starts up front on both sides of the ball, and this is one of many areas defensively where Ole Miss can add to as the unit needs to make a jump for this program to be consistently competitive and play complementary football.