In recent years, college football has seen a growing trend of players opting out of bowl games outside of the playoffs. However, the Ole Miss Rebels are an exception.

The Rebels took on the Duke Blue Devils on Thursday night where they dominated at full speed, earning a 55-20 win behind a handful of NFL talent playing their final game with Ole Miss.

Most notable was quarterback Jaxson Dart. The Utah native made it very clear that he intended to play in this bowl game starting at the end of the regular season, and like most others who played in this game, he simply wanted to play under Lane Kiffin again.

Dart showed why he is one of Mel Kiper’s top 10 quarterback prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft as he was effective throughout the game and had 447 total yards of offense, including 404 yards through the air. He also recorded four touchdowns and went 27 of 35 on his pass attempts.

Dart will leave Ole Miss with the most passing yards in school history (10,617) and 72 touchdowns, establishing himself as one of the all-time great Rebels to come through the program.

Dart is expected to land somewhere between the third and fifth rounds of the draft, but he is just one of many players leaving Oxford for the next level.

He is expected to be joined by Rebel Juice Wells, a sixth-round draft pick. The transfer wide receiver scored the game’s first touchdown of 32 yards on Thursday. While that was Wells’ only reception of the night, his season totals now stand at 27 catches, 521 yards and five touchdowns.

With Wells expected to enter the draft, his one season in Oxford may not have lasted forever, but he showed scouts that he could be a capable pairing at the next level.

Another wideout looking to move to the NFL is veteran Reb Jordan Watkins. Currently, Watkins is not a projected pick, but the consensus is that he is a UDFA (undrafted free agent). Watkins spent three seasons at Ole Miss and was a constant threat. In his final season at Oxford, he had 42 catches, 726 yards and seven touchdown grabs, including four touchdowns of 60 yards.

Rounding out the possible selection of draft picks on the offensive side this evening is experienced tight end Cade Prieskorn. He managed three catches for 26 yards, but showed off his impressive hands early in the game with a hard hit over the middle for a first down.

Prieskorn has also shown his prowess in the rushing game all year, and Thursday was no different as he served as an additional lineman, giving the backs the opportunity for more chunk plays.

Despite this potent offense, this Rebels team is nothing without some stunning defensive monsters, especially the line.

At center, Ole Miss has Walter Nolen projected as a top-15 pick. The transfer nose tackle had a career year at Oxford, earning him All-America honors. Even though Nolen only secured a quarterback rush in the box score on Thursday, he was still a threat and opened up gaps for others, as he has done all season.

Along with him is another likely late or early starter, edge rusher Princely Umanmielen. The Florida transfer performed well in his only season with Ole Miss, recording 10.5 sacks in the regular season, second in the SEC. Thursday brought more of the same.

Umanmielen finished the night with three total tackles, including 0.5 TFLs and four quarterback hurries, which was a problem throughout the game.

While all of these rebels have a place in the hearts of fans, no departure will hit Oxford as hard as the departure of “The Mayor” JJ Pegues.

Since returning to Ole Miss for the final two seasons of his career, Pegues has made an impact on and off the field. On Thursday, the 2024 Chuck Mullins Award winner represented No. 38 one final time, recording a total tackle and a quarterback rush. At the beginning of the game he also managed a run for seven yards and a first down.

Ole Miss may have had an overall advantage in this game, but the NFL talent not dropping out of the Gator Bowl shows the culture that Lane Kiffin has brought to the program. Despite the rocky road of the 2024 season, Ole Miss achieved great success with this win and will look to move forward in the 2025 season.