Ole Miss walks into its season opener on September 6 with a clear challenge waiting on the other side: No. 24 Louisville and a defense that can make life miserable for the Rebels’ top options.
That matters because the conversation around Ole Miss starts with Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy. Those are the names Louisville will spend the week preparing for, and Jeff Brohm’s group has enough in place to try to keep both from taking over. Brohm has been at Louisville since 2023 and has gone 28-12, and this matchup gives him a chance to lean on a defense built to make an offense earn every inch.
The Cardinals bring plenty of pressure up front. Louisville on SI projects Clev Lubin, Tyler Thompson and AJ Green to be locked in at defensive end, with Green and Lubin back from last season and Thompson arriving from UNC. The three combined for 19.5 sacks a year ago, and that kind of pass rush can quickly change the shape of a game.
For Ole Miss, that could mean a night where the Rebels have to choose between pounding away with Lacy or getting the ball out fast before the pocket collapses. The offensive line has some question marks, so the safest path may be a quicker passing game designed to avoid negative plays.
Even that comes with complications. Ole Miss is expected to lean on Deuce Alexander in the passing game, but Louisville has a real answer for him in returning starter Tayon Holloway. That matchup is one of the biggest questions on either side heading into Sunday.
The deeper issue for Louisville is what happens on the other side of the secondary. Louisville on SI projects Elon transfer Brycen Scott to start opposite Holloway, and Scott has only one year of starting experience at corner from his time at Elon. That could be the opening Ole Miss needs for secondary receivers to make noise.
That’s where Johntay Cook enters the picture. The Syracuse transfer may be the most intriguing non-Alexander receiver on the roster, and he brings the kind of upside that could force a bigger role right away. Cook posted more than 500 yards last season, and after spending time at Texas out of high school before landing at Syracuse, he arrives at Ole Miss with another shot to become the SEC-level playmaker his talent suggests he can be.
There’s also a practical reason Cook’s timing matters. Ole Miss may not want to overload Lacy in the opener after how beat up he was from his usage in 2025, especially with portal additions Makhi Frazier, JT Lindsey and Joshua Dye in the backfield. That makes the first game back against a Louisville front that includes returning linebackers Stanquan Clark and TJ Banks, both aiming for breakout seasons, feel like a spot where the Rebels could need help from somewhere other than their usual stars.
If that happens, Cook has the clearest path to becoming the player Louisville can’t ignore.
In Other News...
Dan Mullen Buzz Revives A Familiar Mississippi State Debate
The coaching carousel always finds a way to circle back, and this latest round of speculation has put a familiar name back in Mississippi conversation. Dan Mullens history at Mississippi State still carries weight because he proved he could build a program there into a consistent winner, and any talk of a return inevitably gets measured against the standard he set before leaving for bigger jobs.
Brian Kelly has also been mentioned in the same breath as a possible homecoming to Cincinnati, which adds another layer to the broader what-if debate around coaches returning to places where they once thrived. For Mississippi fans, the bigger question is less about nostalgia than fit and timing, because a second act can look appealing on paper while still carrying the same pressure to match old success under very different circumstances. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Pros Face A Tense NFL Roster Reality
Several former Ole Miss standouts are navigating one of the hardest days on the NFL calendar, with initial 53-man rosters set across the league after training camps wrapped. For some Rebels alumni, the first wave of news brought a practice-squad opportunity and a chance to keep developing nearby. For others, it meant the end of camp with a cut or an injured-reserve designation, the kind of roster churn that can quickly change the outlook for a players immediate future.
A few of the players let go did not stay on the market long, since other teams moved in and claimed them for their own 53-man groups. That scramble is part of the reality for college programs with deep pro pipelines, and Ole Miss is again seeing how quickly a summer of promise can turn into a race for jobs, depth-chart space and another shot somewhere else. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Is Going Big To Push Its Heisman Stars Into View
Ole Miss is taking an aggressive public-relations swing to elevate Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy into the national Heisman conversation. The programs new #H6I5MEN campaign is built around both players, with branding set to show up on the Sphere in Las Vegas beginning Aug. 30 and on a billboard in Times Square, giving the Rebels a high-profile way to put their quarterback and running back in front of a much bigger audience.
Athletic director Keith Carter framed the effort as more than just an awards push, pointing to it as a chance to celebrate the two players and tell their stories on a national and even international stage. For Ole Miss, the campaign is a reminder that the race for attention can be just as important as the race for trophies, especially when the goal is to make sure its stars are impossible to overlook. [Read more 🡒]