The Ole Miss Rebels are preparing for Year 4 under head coach Lane Kiffin.

After going 5-5 in Kiffin’s 1st season, Ole Miss broke out with a 10-3 record that landed it in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

But the Rebels took a step back last season when they finished 8-5.

This year’s team features a half-dozen new coaches on Kiffin’s staff, a boatload of new players and the return of a few dynamic players as it tries to get the program-building back on track.

Here are 10 burning questions as Ole Miss opens camp:

1. Can the Rebels shake off their late-season slide in 2022?

Kiffin’s 3rd team seemed like it was building on the success of 2021 when it won its first 7 games, climbed to No. 7 in the AP poll and showed up at No. 11 in the 1st CFP rankings.

But then things went south.

The Rebels lost at LSU, 45-20. They bounced back with a win against Texas A&M, then played Alabama to the wire but came up short, 30-24. They never recovered.

That started a 3-game losing streak to end the regular season, which was followed by a loss to Texas Tech in the Texas Bowl.

At SEC Media Days, Kiffin took the blame for not being able to keep the players’ chins up after their loftiest goals became unattainable.

It’s his challenge to do a better job of regaining a positive mindset and focusing the players on goals just as lofty as the ones from a year ago.

2. Will they be ready for a tougher September schedule?

Ole Miss’ fast start last season came against a relatively soft early-season schedule.

But that’s not the case this season. After the season opener against Mercer, the Rebels visit Tulane, which went 12-2 last season and is popping up in some preseason polls.

The SEC opener is at Alabama, followed by a visit from LSU.

Repeating last year’s start will be quite a challenge.

3. How quickly will the rebuilt roster mesh?

The roster features 40 new scholarship players, which doesn’t provide ideal continuity for a team facing such a tough start.

But the transfer portal requires everyone to deal with added roster turnover, and Kiffin has been one of the best at utilizing that opportunity.

Shortcomings in continuity can be overcome by an influx of top-flight talent.

4. How quickly will the players adapt to their new coaches?

Ole Miss has a new defensive coordinator, a new special teams coordinator and new position coaches handling the offensive line, running backs, linebackers, cornerbacks and safeties.

The players and the new coaches have to get to know one another, the players have to learn what their new coaches expect of them, and it remains to be seen if the individual coaches are an upgrade over their predecessors.

5. Can Pete Golding upgrade the defense?

The marquee coaching change saw Kiffin lure Golding, who was Nick Saban’s defensive coordinator for the last 5 seasons.

It’s Kiffin, so his offense is going to move the ball a lot and score a bunch of points.

It’s also probably not going to possess the ball for a terribly long time, forcing Golding’s unit to stay on the field for the majority of the game.

The offense’s productivity means the defense doesn’t have to be dominant in order for the team to be successful, but the defense allowed an average of 35 points per game during the 1-5 finish.

Golding was brought in to make the defense much more competitive than that.

6. How good are all those new DBs?

Seven defensive backs have arrived in Oxford through the transfer portal, including a late arrival in former Miami cornerback Chris Graves Jr.

Deantre Prince, who has started 20 games in the last 2 seasons for the Rebels, figures to start at 1 cornerback spot, but much of the rest of the secondary will consist of players who have yet to play in a game at Ole Miss.

7. Will Joshua Harris have an impact on the defensive line?

Harris was a highly regarded recruit when he signed with NC State and played in 38 games in 4 seasons with the Wolfpack, but he never had a huge impact.

At 6-4, 325 pounds, he has the size to make a difference on the interior of the line and create more opportunities for Cedric Johnson, who has 13.5 sacks as a Rebel.

8. Can Quinshon Judkins be even better?

Judkins was 1 of the most productive freshman running backs in SEC history last season when he set school records for carries (274), rushing yards (1,567) and rushing touchdowns (16). He was named the conference’s Freshman of the Year.

Kiffin said Judkins is “really special” and could be even better in his 2nd season, operating behind a veteran offensive line.

9. Who will be the go-to receivers?

Ole Miss lost its 2 most productive wide receivers last season – Malik Heath and Jonathan Mingo.

The transfer portal produced all-C-USA receiver Tre Harris (Louisiana Tech), and Prince has identified true freshman Ayden Williams as someone who “can be a big-time guy.”

10. Who will be the quarterback?

Often times a quarterback competition will automatically provide the most burning question at this time of year.

But it’s worth noting that the Rebels should be in a good shape regardless of who winds up as the starter.

Jaxson Dart did just fine last season after transferring from USC, but that didn’t stop Kiffin from welcoming 2 high-profile newcomers – Spencer Sanders (Oklahoma State) and Walker Howard (LSU).

Sanders, who started 4 years for the Cowboys but was hampered by a shoulder injury last season, has far more experience than Howard, who threw just 4 passes and was redshirted as a true freshman last season.

The real question isn’t so much who will start as whether whoever the starter is can approach Matt Corral’s productivity 2 years ago.