The defensive line might be one of the strong spots on an Ole Miss defense that was ranked first in the nation in scoring defense last season, and one of the strong spots of the team in general.
The team returns two starters, as part-time starting defensive tackle Bryon Bennett has graduated and senior C.J. Johnson, who started at defensive end last year, has now moved to linebacker. One returning starter is junior defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche. Nkemdiche was a member of the First Team All-SEC defense last season and was very beneficial to the rest of the defensive line last season, as he commanded a lot of attention from the offensive line each play.