a new lane in oxford: ole miss season preview

There is no doubt that Ole Miss is one of the biggest stories in college football this season. Coming off a devastating loss in the College Football Playoff Semifinals, expectations are very high for the Rebels this season. Ole Miss lost head coach Lane Kiffin in one of the wildest coaching moves ever; however, they played their best football late in the season without their head coach of 6 years. Former defensive coordinator Pete Golding immediately stepped in as head coach and proved that the Rebels can play with the big boys of college football. One question, however, remains. Can Ole Miss duplicate their success?

Running it back in the backfield:

Elite quarterback Trinidad Chambliss returns, and there is no doubt he is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. In not even a full season as the starter, Chambliss threw for 3,937 yards along with 22 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. Chambliss also proved to be a threat with his legs, running for 527 yards and 8 touchdowns. If the signal caller was only a few inches taller, there is no doubt he is a first-rounder. 

The Rebels also return one of if not the best running backs in the sport in Kewan Lacy. The former Missouri transfer ran for 1,567 yards along with an elite 24 touchdowns to propel the Rebel’s offense deep into the playoffs. Lacy goes into the year as a legitimate heisman candidate with the oppurtunity to put this offense on his back. Behind Lacy will be Makhi Frazier, a transfer from Michigan State. Frazier will provide good depth as a rotational back for the squad as he ran for 520 yards and 2 touchdowns last season in East Lansing, where he was also the teams RB2.

Lost Production and Transfers:

Ole Miss lost highly productive receivers in Trey Wallace, De'Zhaun Stribling, and Cayden Lee from a year ago. The trio combined for a whopping 2380 receiving yards a year ago, a clip that will be hard to replace.

In an attempt to replace this lost production, Ole Miss added many notable transders. Most notably, Syracuse transfer Johntay Cook and Michigan transfer TE Brady Prieskorn, both of whom the coaching staff have high hopes for. Cook, who has played at Texas, Syracuse, and Washington in his short career looks to find stability in Oxford and show why he was the #7 receiver in the class of 2023 out of High School. Prieskorn on the other end looks to cement himself as the Rebels lead blocking tight end, a position the group is in desperate need of after the departures on offense from a year ago.

Another potential breakout on the outside for the rebels is former five-star and sophomore WR Caleb Cunningham. Cunningham was ranked as the #7 receiver in the class of 2025 out of High School and turned down the oppurtunity to enter the portal over the offseason and transfer to wherever he wanted. Cunningham has high expectations at receiver this season. The Rebels also return Deuce Alexander, who caught 44 passes for 684 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Ole Miss also hopes for consistent production from their tight ends after the departure of Dae'Quan Wright from a year ago. Wright's replacement is Luke Hasz, who had an injury-riddled season in Oxford in 2025, but was productive in Arkansas the previous two seasons. Caleb Odom made the switch from wide receiver to tight end, and looks to be an explosive threat for this offense as well. Prieskorn will look to gain a role as a pass catcher aswell. Odom, Hasz, and Prieskorn create a great three-headed monster at tight end for Golding.

The Auburn Transfer Duo: Two transfers that catch my eye as potential key players for the Rebels this year both played at Auburn a year ago. Former Wake Forest and Auburn WR Horatio Fields transferred to Oxford this offseason and plugs in as an immediate starter in the slot. This is Fields fourth year starting and he provides a security blanket out of the slot that Chambliss is sure to rely on as the year goes on. Fields hauled in 5 catches for 47 yards against #24 Louisville in Week One, and looks to build on that performance as a breakout candidate for the Rebels. Joining Fields is his fellow teammate at Auburn a year ago, CB Jalyn Crawford. Crawford was ranked as a four star transfer and as the #7 CB in the portal. Crawford tallied 3 solo tackles against Louisville and did not see many catches tallied against him. Expect Crawford to break out as Pete Golding's CB1 as the season goes on.

The offensive line has talent but also carries some uncertainty. Brycen Sanders returns at center and should provide stability in the middle, while Patrick Kutas is one of the most experienced players on the roster and will play right guard. LSU transfer Carius Curne is projected to take over at right tackle after starting games on both sides of LSU’s offensive line as a true freshman. Terez Davis is expected to start at left tackle and Delano Townsend will be at left guard. The Rebels have SEC-level size and depth, but the unit must establish chemistry quickly in a conference that brings war every week. If the offensive line protects Chambliss and opens consistent running lanes for Lacy, this offense should once again be one of the most productive groups in the country.

The defensive line should be the strongest part of the defense. Linebacker Suntarine Perkins returns as the leader of the unit after recording 81 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles last season. Kam Franklin and Will Echoles also return after contributing throughout last season’s playoff run. Ole Miss added Colorado transfer Jehiem Oatis to provide size in the middle, along with Oregon transfer Blake Purchase and Alabama transfer Jordan Renaud. Purchase was rated as a 4-star transfer and held a 4 star rating out of High School despite minimal playing time in Eugene. Expect Purchase to break out as a replacement for the defensive line production lost from a year ago.

Former EDGE Princewill Umanmielen’s departure to LSU over the offseason removes the team’s leading pass rusher. Umanmielen tallied 9 sacks for the Rebels a year ago. Despite Umanmielen's departure however, the Rebels may be deeper in the defensive line than they were last season.

The linebacker corps was also rebuilt through the portal. Baylor transfer Keaton Thomas enters the season as one of the most important additions after recording 205 tackles over his final two seasons. California transfer Luke Ferrelli is expected to start beside him, while Perkins can also line up as an outside linebacker depending on the defensive package. Thomas and Ferrelli will be responsible for replacing TJ Dottery, who followed Kiffin to LSU. There is less proven depth at linebacker than on the defensive line, but the starting unit has the athleticism and experience to be very productive.

The secondary has been almost completely overhauled after inconsistent play last season. Antonio Kite is the most proven returning cornerback, while Auburn transfer Jalyn Crawford is expected to start on the opposite side. Jaylon Braxton and Florida transfer Sharif Denson provide experienced depth behind them. At safety, Georgia transfer Joenel Aguero and Florida State transfer Edwin Joseph and should immediately improve the talent level of the unit. Aguero tallied 70+ tackles in three years in Athens and looks to plug in as a leader of the groups secondary.

With so many new players, communication could be an issue early in the season, but the ceiling of this group is considerably higher than it was last year. If the secondary comes together, Golding could have one of the best defensive units in the SEC..

Special teams should be a major strength because of the return of Lucas Carneiro. Carneiro made 31 of his 35 field-goal attempts last season, including a program-record 58-yarder. He also delivered one of the biggest kicks in program history when he made a 47-yard field goal to defeat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Oscar Bird is expected to handle punting duties, while Izaiah Hartrup should be involved in both the kick and punt return games.

Looking at the Rebel’s schedule, Coach Pete Golding will have his hands full this year. Their toughest games look to be LSU, at Texas, Georgia, and at Oklahoma. This does not include a season opener against Louisville the Rebels just squeaked a 41-38 victory out of. There are also a group of SEC games on the schedule that are definitely losable. I have the Rebels at 9-3, losing the highly anticipated LSU game, as well as the Texas and Georgia games. However, I do have the Rebels winning a road game against a very good Oklahoma team late in the season, which could propel them into a possible at-large bid in the College Football Playoffs depending on the conference outlook. 

I trust the high-end talent on this roster, especially the combination of Chambliss and Lacy, which is one of the best in the country. The defensive front should also be significantly deeper. However, replacing Kiffin’s influence, rebuilding the receiver room, and blending so many defensive transfers creates uncertainty. This team can be characterized by an elite quarterback-running back combination, a deep and physical defensive line, and a brutal second-half schedule. I see this team as a very talented, second-tier SEC team, and a possible College Football Playoff team in Golding's first year at HC.