The biggest storyline around Ole Miss heading into fall camp starts with the man under center, but it doesn’t stop there. With camp set to open in a couple of weeks, the Rebels are staring at a season full of unknowns, and the answers will shape how far this team can go.
Trinidad Chambliss is back in the spotlight after being ruled eligible for another season of college football, and now the challenge shifts from comeback story to full-season starter. Last year, he piled up nearly 4,000 passing yards while throwing 22 touchdowns against just three interceptions.
That made him one of the best stories in 2025. The question now is how he handles the follow-up act.
Ole Miss will have Kewan Lacy back in the backfield, which should help lighten the load on offense. Even so, Chambliss is going to be working with a new group of wide receivers, and that makes chemistry a major early priority. If this team is going to hit its ceiling, it will be because Chambliss plays at a high level in 2026.
The next major question lands on Pete Golding, who is entering his first full season as head coach after taking over before the College Football Playoff when Lane Kiffin suddenly left for LSU. Golding already has a strong reputation in Oxford after helping the Rebels secure a pair of CFP wins, but now he has to manage the whole show over the course of an entire season.
That brings a different kind of pressure. In-game adjustments, depth-chart decisions, and the grind of a full schedule will all be under the microscope.
Golding is no longer just handling one side of the ball. He’s running the entire operation, and Ole Miss believes he’s the right man for the job.
The third issue is on the back end of the defense, where the secondary has been turned over by the transfer portal and eligibility departures. Rebuilding that group will be one of Golding’s first major tasks in camp. Jalyn Crawford, Edwin Joseph, and Sharif Denson give the Rebels a good dose of experience, but the challenge is finding the right combination.
That matters because Ole Miss was not strong against the pass a year ago, and tightening that area is clearly something Golding wants to address. How quickly the secondary comes together could tell a lot about where this team is headed once the season gets rolling.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Still Has A Shot At A Stunning 5-Star Win
Five-star running back David Gabriel Georges has trimmed his recruitment to three schools, and Ole Miss is still hanging around in a race that has mostly been framed around Tennessee and Ohio State. For the Rebels, the appeal is less about being the presumed favorite and more about the relationships that have kept them in the conversation, giving Lane Kiffins staff at least a foothold as the decision nears.
Georges is set to announce his commitment on July 22, and while recruiting insiders still see Ole Miss as the outsider in this one, the Rebels have done enough to avoid being dismissed entirely. With former teammates and the coaching staff helping keep the door open, Ole Miss will get one more shot to see whether it can pull off a surprising win on the trail. [Read more 🡒]
National Analyst Just Put Trinidad Chambliss In Rare Air Before Louisville
Ole Miss heads into 2026 with an opener against Louisville that already feels like a measuring-stick game, and much of the attention is landing on Trinidad Chambliss. The returning quarterback is back in the Heisman conversation, and media personality Brooks Austin has gone out of his way to put him in rare company because of the way he can threaten defenses both through the air and on the ground.
That kind of praise only adds to the pressure on a Rebels offense that also expects Kewan Lacy to be a major factor and another name worth watching in the national awards race. If Chambliss really is the kind of quarterback Austin believes he is, Ole Miss will have a chance to make a loud early statement before the season settles in, with Louisville serving as the first real test of just how high this group can climb. [Read more 🡒]
One September Night Could Change Everything For Ole Miss Recruiting
Ole Miss has already built real momentum on the recruiting trail for its 2027 class, stacking up a program-best 15 verbal commitments by July and giving the staff an early foundation to sell. The Rebels have spent the summer turning that head start into something bigger, and the next major chance to do it comes in Oxford on Sept. 19, when LSU visits in a game that should put the campus and the program under a brighter spotlight than usual.
College GameDay is expected to be part of the scene, and the atmosphere figures to matter as much as the result on the field for a program trying to keep its recruiting surge rolling. A strong showing against LSU would give Ole Miss a fresh talking point with prospects who will be watching closely, and it could help the Rebels turn one big night into something more lasting as the fall unfolds. [Read more 🡒]