Fall camp opens Aug. 6 for Ole Miss, and with Pete Golding set to run his first one as head coach, the buzz around the Rebels is already building. The defense, in particular, looks like the group most likely to feel different right away. The roster has been upgraded in a big way, and the expectation is that this side of the ball can get back to the level it showed two seasons ago.
The first spot worth sorting through is EDGE, where Ole Miss has a mix of transfers, veterans and young pieces to work with.
Jonathan Maldonado and Kam Franklin sit at the top of the projected rotation. Phil Steele lists Maldonado and Suntarine Perkins as the starters, though the team website identifies Perkins as a linebacker. He’s clearly more than a one-position player, since he’s expected to work both spots depending on personnel.
Maldonado, a senior from Nevada, brings the speed element. Franklin offers the opposite kind of problem for offenses: a bigger, more powerful rush presence off the edge. Both give Ole Miss length, and that matters in an SEC defensive line room.
The rest of the group gives Golding real flexibility. Jordan Renaud, a junior transfer from Alabama, and Blake Purchase, a junior transfer from Oregon, both fit the mold of players who could stand up and rush in the same way Perkins does.
Carmelow Reed, a freshman at 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds, adds another long frame to the mix. Cam Clark, Landon Barnes and Talib Graham round out the group, giving Ole Miss a solid four-deep rotation even without Perkins in the equation.
That depth is the big takeaway here. Golding should have no trouble keeping fresh bodies on the field and quarterbacks under pressure. The projected order behind Maldonado and Franklin goes Renaud, Purchase, Reed, Clark, Barnes and Graham, and it’s a group with enough size and versatility to keep the rotation moving.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Gets Its First Real Hype Test Under Pete Golding
The preseason spotlight is about to get a little brighter around Oxford, with the 2026 US LBM College Football Coaches Top 25 poll set to be released Aug. 4. USA TODAY Sports will unveil the rankings live on YouTube, and for Ole Miss, it figures to be the first real public check on how the program is viewed as it enters the Pete Golding era.
Ole Miss is expected to land in the preseason poll, which would add another layer of expectation to a schedule that already has plenty of intrigue. Louisville and LSU headline a slate that also includes Charlotte and Florida, and the ranking on release day should offer an early read on how much respect Goldings first Rebels team is getting before a snap is played. [Read more 🡒]
John David Baker Faces Huge Ole Miss Pressure Right Away
Pete Golding is settling into his first full season as Ole Miss defensive coordinator, and on the other side of the ball, John David Baker is back in Oxford with a title that comes with immediate scrutiny. Baker arrives after helping reshape East Carolinas offense, and now he is being asked to guide a Rebels unit built around quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy, with the same up-tempo identity that has defined this program in recent seasons.
The pressure is not just about keeping the pace where Ole Miss wants it. Baker has to make sure the offense stays efficient while leaning more on the run, a shift that can look simple on paper and becomes a lot harder once SEC defenses start forcing decisions. With Golding beginning to put his stamp on the defense, Ole Miss is counting on Baker to settle in quickly and keep the offense moving without losing the edge that made it dangerous in the first place. [Read more 🡒]