Ole Miss is still playing for the present, but Pete Golding isn’t pretending the future can wait.
Even with the Rebels in the thick of the College Football Playoff race, Golding said the program is already digging into retention work for next season and beyond. That means weekly evaluation, internal roster discussions and a clear effort to stay ahead of the market as players sort out their next move.
“I think daily. I mean, that’s part of obviously the general manager Austin (Thomas’) job as well.
But we have weekly reports based on retention and value of guys that you’ve invested in and ‘What’s their production and their performance look like up to this point?’. So that’s constant,” Golding said of Ole Miss’ current roster recruitment.
“That’s every week. I think a lot of those conversations with guys that have the ability to come back start earlier than they used to be.
We all know there’s other conversations going on, so we definitely want to stay ahead of the game. I think for sure, building elite programs (means) you got to retain the best players that you have on your current roster.
I think stability and systems help you do that, but there’s no point in stability in the system if you can’t keep the players in the system. So that’s day to day.
But yeah, we’re already working on that, to be honest with you.”
That approach matters because Ole Miss is staring at major roster turnover. The Rebels list 41 players as seniors or fifth-year players, and under the NCAA’s five-for-five rule, officially passed in June and beginning with the class of 2023 high school graduates, players will get five years to complete five seasons of collegiate athletics.
Ole Miss has 17 players tagged as fifth-years, meaning they won’t be back for the 2027 season. The rest of the roster remains eligible, and Ole Miss On SI has identified a group of players the Rebels should push to keep around from each class above the freshman level.
Among the seniors, that group includes DT Jam Brown, OL Brycen Sanders, OL Tommy Kinsler IV, OL Delano Townsend, DB Edwin Joseph, TE Luke Hasz, S Sharif Denson, WR Traylon Ray, S Joenel Aguero, LB Suntarine Perkins, DE Blake Purchase and DB Jaylon Braxton.
The junior class features TE Caleb Odom, CB Jalyn Crawford, DE Kam Franklin, LB Luke Ferrelli, RB Makhi Frazier, LB Tah’j Butler, OL Terez Davis and DT Machai Boireau.
For the sophomores, the list includes WR Caleb Cunningham, QB Deuce Knight, RB JT Lindsey, S Ladarian Clardy, RB Shekai Mills-Knight, OL Connor Howes, DT Andrew Maddox, K Peter McStravick, WR Samari Reed and CB Dante Core.
That doesn’t mean all of those players will wind up back in Oxford, or that Ole Miss will land every name on the list. Some could be steered toward team-friendly agreements with the Grove Collective, while others may be advised to test the open market if the Rebels set a firm price. That’s the reality of college football right now.
There’s already a model to watch. Earlier this week, Oregon State true freshman wide receiver Jesse Legree announced that he re-signed with the Beavers for the 2027 season. Golding’s point was clear: those decisions are happening earlier, and Ole Miss will be right in the middle of that trend as it tries to hold on to its own key pieces.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Could Get A Timely Boost Up Front Vs Auburn
Ole Miss got through a bruising night against Texas with one of its biggest concerns at least eased for the moment. Right tackle Terez Davis left the game because of an injury and was held out as a precaution, but the expectation now is that he should be back when the Rebels line up against Auburn. For an offense that wants to stay balanced and keep pressure off the quarterback, getting a veteran piece back on the edge would be a welcome development.
The line held up well enough without Davis to keep Texas off the sack sheet, which gave Ole Miss a chance to survive a physical matchup up front. The run game, though, never quite found the same rhythm, and that is where his return could matter most heading into Auburn. If Davis is indeed ready to go, it gives the Rebels a better shot at shoring up the front and finding a little more consistency where it counts. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Is Still Feeling The Cost Of Its Kiffin Upheaval
The ripple effects of Lane Kiffins departure are still being felt in Oxford, and not just in the coaching search that followed. Ole Miss had to remake a major part of its roster in the aftermath, bringing in 29 players while 25 others entered the transfer portal, and the exodus has been visible across the SEC as former Rebels have settled in with new programs.
Several of those familiar names have already carved out roles elsewhere, with varying levels of impact. Umanmielen, Simmons, Dottery, Lee and Womack have each shown what they can do for teams like LSU, Missouri and Auburn, a reminder that the Rebels did not just lose depth, they lost proven talent that is now helping other contenders this season. [Read more 🡒]
Joel Klatt Just Framed LSUs Real Playoff Pressure Point
The latest College Football Playoff projections are another reminder that the SEC logjam could shape the entire bracket, and Ole Miss is right in the middle of it. Fox analyst Joel Klatts projected 12-team field included four league teams, with Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss and LSU all in position to get in, while he pegged Georgia to win the conference and the Rebels to land an at-large berth.
What makes the projection stand out from an Ole Miss perspective is how crowded the race already feels, even before November sorts out the final pecking order. Klatt had LSU finishing 9-3 and still making the playoff, while leaving out Alabama and Kentucky despite what ESPNs Football Power Index says about their odds, which only underscores how thin the margin is for the teams battling around the cutoff line. [Read more 🡒]