What Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin said about Cedric Johnson opting out of Peach Bowl

Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin said Tuesday that he jinxed himself earlier this month when he predicted the Rebels would go a third straight postseason without having a player opt out of their bowl game.

Kiffin confirmed that Ole Miss edge rusher Cedric Johnson won't play when the Rebels (10-2) take on Penn State (10-2) on Saturday (11 a.m., ESPN). The news came as a surprise to Kiffin, he said.

"We wish him the best of luck," Kiffin said. "We'll miss him. He was a really important part of this team. But, you know, everybody's got to make their own decisions nowadays. And kids think about things differently, so it is what it is. But everybody else is here."

Johnson, a senior, played in 12 games for the Rebels this season. He finished tied with Jared Ivey for the team lead with 5.5 sacks during the regular season, sacking the quarterback 19 times over his four-year career.

Johnson recently accepted an invite to the Senior Bowl as he prepares for the 2024 NFL Draft.

"Ced is a valuable piece of our defense," Rebels linebacker Ashanti Cistrunk said. "It's gonna hurt us a lot, but next man up mentality. We're gonna get the next man in, and he's gonna perform and do what he's gotta do.

"We respect Ced's decision. We understand that he wants to prepare for the NFL Draft."

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David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss football edge opts out of Peach Bowl vs Penn State