Depth of Ole Miss to be Tested in 2015

Ole Miss is in in a familiar position. Last year the Rebels rose as high as #3 in the polls . . . then injuries started piling up. Denzel Nkemdiche went out with an ankle injury and Laquon Treadwell broke his leg — as did Laremy Tunsil in the Peach Bowl against TCU. By the time the season ended, it was hard to look at the Rebels and understand how they had risen that high in the polls. But they have regrouped and reclaimed the #3 ranking again in 2015.

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O yeah, last year they beat Alabama to spark their rise up the polls. The similarities in their seasons increased, in a negative way, on Monday. Ole Miss fans have to be having a sense of déjà vu after hearing Tony Conner will be out at least 4 weeks with a torn meniscus. A 4 week absence is in undoubtedly the best case scenario. This is in addition to losing Issac Gross for the year in the Middle Tennessee game.

Fans have also been both lost and frustrated as to why star offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil has yet to make his 2015 debut. Chris Low of espn.com revealed that it was deemed he received extra benefits and would likely miss at least the first four games of the season. What has Ole Miss fans worried, though, is that there has still yet to be any official word on his 2015 playing status. Yes, the Rebels were able to still beat Alabama without him. No, the Rebels are not as good of a team as they would be without one of the top offensive tackles in the nation.

While injuries in college football are as common as offensive lineman being too far off the line of scrimmage on pass plays, Ole Miss is likely having flashbacks to 2014 when the injuries first started piling up.

Thankfully for Ole Miss faithful, the Rebels have been stocking the cupboard with talent under Hugh Freeze. According to 247sports.com, the Rebels signed the #9 class in 2013, the #15 class in 2014 and the #17 class in 2015. While not all top 10 classes, each has been stocked with some top shelf prospects. If Ole Miss is to live up to the hype in 2015, those prospects will have to develop into top shelf talents.

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