There are always winners and losers in the transfer portal, and Pro Football Focus is leaning toward the winners when talking about Ole Miss football heading into 2024.
The magazine ranked the Rebels as one of the top five winners in both the first and second waves of the portal cycle this offseason after securing another top-tier player under head coach Lane Kiffin. Coming off an 11-2 season and a Peach Bowl win, many in the college football world believe Ole Miss should be the favorite to make the playoffs for the first time in the 12-team postseason era.
One of the main reasons PFF likes Ole Miss' transfer portal additions has nothing to do with stars like receiver Juice Wells or defensive tackle Walter Nolen: In fact, cornerback Trey Amos is considered the headliner of this class, listed as the eighth player in the portal, according to the website.
“He's an extremely high-level kid,” one SEC staffer told PFF this offseason, “his height, his length, the explosiveness he can create with his change of direction. The footwork he mimics, all of that stuff.”
He also noted that Amos, who spent last season under coach Nick Saban at Alabama, was a stout tackler who rarely missed his role in the open field.
“He's exactly what we were looking for as a boundary corner to cover that 'X' receiver,” the source said.
As the No. 3 cornerback behind Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry, Amos recorded 12 total tackles and one tackle for loss, while also intercepting five passes and finishing in the top 10 in coverage as the Crimson Tide returned to the postseason for the final time in the Saban era.
Prior to coming to Tuscaloosa, Amos started three seasons at Louisiana where he recorded 57 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, an interception, 13 pass breakups and one forced fumble.
“He's a really good player,” Rebels coach Lane Kiffin said earlier in the offseason, “great work ethic and a 'culture guy.' You know what you're going to get from (retired Alabama coach) Nick Saban, especially (the defensive backs).”
