NCAAF News

Home

Teams

Quizzes

Newsletter

Power Rankings

Ole Miss Football Practice Report: Georgia State Panthers Week 1 Showdown

Originally posted on Ole Miss Rebels on SI | By Zack Nagy | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 9:00 AM ET

OXFORD, Miss. – Fall camp is in the books, and it's finally game week in Oxford as Ole Miss football opens its 2025 season on Saturday, August 30, at 6:45 p.m. CT against Georgia State.

Lane Kiffin held his weekly press conference Monday to recap fall camp and preview the Week 1 matchup against Georgia State. Austin Simmons, Cayden Lee, TJ Dottery and Suntarine Perkins all met with the media as well, which can be found in this week's practice report.

Home Sweet Home

Ole Miss opens in the friendly confines of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, where the Rebels have been 25-3 over the past four seasons, including perfect 7-0 home campaigns in each of the last two odd years (2023 and 2021). Kiffin is excited to see how his team will perform in the first of eight home games in Oxford this season.

"Obviously, a lot of new players with this team, so it'll be exciting to go out and play in front of a home crowd, which we really urge to be electric, like it has been here at times," Kiffin said.

"It was good to get a later kickoff for our fans, so I'm excited with that. I really urge them to show up early and stay and create a great home environment like we've had a lot of times here."

Georgia State was just 3-9 last season but is a much more dangerous opponent than its recent record suggests.

The Panthers took down Vanderbilt in Atlanta last season and will field a talented roster in 2025, featuring numerous Power 4 transfers from the likes of Auburn, Baylor, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, NC State, Ole Miss, Oregon, South Carolina, TCU, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.

"This is a really good, really well-coached team that has really good players—a number returning and a number of transfers from different places have come in," Kiffin said.

"The coaches have done a really good job building this team. They went and beat Vanderbilt last year. It says a lot about their staff."

It's Time

After three straight years of Jaxson Dart behind center, the Ole Miss offense will look different in 2025 with left-hander Austin Simmons leading Rebel attack.

Simmons has earned the respect of his teammates over the offseason, and the expectation is to keep one of college football's most dangerous offenses humming right along.

The redshirt sophomore out of Miami has been working with his receiving corps and on his command of the offense to ensure just that.

"I've definitely seen a lot of progression over time—managing the offense, driving down the field," Simmons said. "It's a great bond (with the wide receivers).

"Everyone knows me and Cayden have always had that relationship since I've enrolled. I've always had a great relationship with everyone in the receiver room."

Cayden Lee had his breakout season in 2025, finishing second on the Ole Miss roster, behind only Tre Harris, with 57 receptions for 874 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore. Now he's excited to see Simmons earn his time in the spotlight.

"It's kind of surreal. We came in together. Stayed through everything, and he's done a great job battling everything," Lee said of Simmons.

"To finally see him get his opportunity is really awesome. I know he's going to go out there and do what we know he can do."

Spot the Ball

Similarly, the new-look Ole Miss defense will also be looking to make a name for itself to start 2025. The Rebel defense sent several stars off to the professional ranks, but the expectation set all fall by the new crew is that the standard doesn't change.

"We're excited," Dottery said. "A lot of juice in the building. I'm excited to watch the team come together and put it on display this weekend."

TJ Dottery returns after finishing second on the team in tackles last year with 76, while Suntarine Perkins eyes another big year after tying for the team lead with 10.5 sacks, along with the fourth-most tackles at 60 as a sophomore.

Now a veteran on the Ole Miss roster, Perkins is making sure the Rebels don't take their first opponent lightly.

"They have a lot of guys who came out from the transfer portal. A lot of guys who transferred out of the SEC. I feel like they're a pretty good team," Perkins said. "We've been putting in every day ready to work. We're ready to spot the ball Saturday."

This article first appeared on Ole Miss Rebels on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: