Ole Miss heads into 2026 with the kind of buzz that only follows a team coming off a deep playoff run. The Rebels beat Tulane in the first round of the College Football Playoff, took down Georgia in the second round, and then fell to Miami in the national semifinals. That 2025 surge set a high bar, and now the challenge is replacing familiar faces while keeping the momentum rolling.
There will be some new voices around the program after a major coaching shakeup. Many members of the 2025 staff left with Lane Kiffin when he became LSU’s head coach in Baton Rouge. In response, Ole Miss elevated Pete Golding, who was the defensive coordinator in 2025 and then took over as head coach for the Rebels’ three College Football Playoff games.
Even with the turnover, the roster still looks loaded. Ole Miss brings back a strong core and added more talent through the transfer portal, giving the Rebels the look of a team built to stay near the top of the national picture.
On offense, Caleb Odom looks ready to make his name known. He flashed real promise in limited work during the 2025 season, including a two-point conversion catch against Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.
With his size and athleticism, Odom has already shown enough to hint at much more. And with Dae'Quan Wright now in the NFL, Odom is positioned to become an every-down piece who can help Ole Miss stay dangerous as both a run and pass threat.
Deuce Alexander is another player who deserves more attention. He was buried in a loaded wide receiver group last season, but he still kept making big plays.
His value goes beyond the box score, though. Alexander gives the Rebels a true deep-ball weapon and a receiver who can go up and win 50/50 balls, which fits perfectly with an offense built to score from anywhere on the field.
Defensively, Golding added a key piece in Keaton Thomas, who came to Oxford through the transfer portal from Baylor. Thomas should see nearly every snap and brings the kind of experience Ole Miss needed after T.J.
Dottery left for LSU. He’s a hard-hitting linebacker, and the expectation is that he steps into a leadership role quickly.
Kam Franklin is another name worth watching closely. He doesn’t get nearly enough credit for what he did in 2025, when he finished with five sacks and 33 solo tackles.
That production made him one of the most important players on the Ole Miss defense. Pair him with Will Echoles, and the Rebels have a defensive line duo that could be a real problem again in 2026.
The secondary also got a boost with Joenel Aguero, a former Georgia defensive starter who brings talent and athleticism to safety. Ole Miss is looking for a star back there, and Aguero has a chance to become that guy. In 2025, he posted an interception and 23 solo tackles, showing he can make plays when the ball comes his way.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Finally Added A Tackle As Fall Camp Pressure Builds
Ole Miss has spent the summer trying to shore up its offensive line depth, and the latest addition comes in the form of Roman Womack, a sophomore tackle who arrived from Northwest Mississippi JUCO. At 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds, Womack gives the Rebels another body at a position group that has been a clear focus as fall camp approaches, and he joins a transfer class that already includes Carius Curne, Enoch Wangoy and Tommy Kinsler IV.
The timing matters because Pete Golding has already made it clear the tackle spots are still very much a work in progress, with Terez Davis in line to compete for the starting left tackle job. Even with Womack in the fold, the bigger question for Ole Miss is how quickly the group can settle, especially on the right side, where the Rebels are still sorting through options for John Garrison and trying to build enough depth to survive camp. [Read more 🡒]
One Ole Miss Freshman May Be Impossible To Keep Off Field
Ole Miss spent much of its offseason building up the defensive front through the transfer portal and leaning on experienced veterans, but the freshman who keeps drawing attention is Landon Barnes. The defensive end arrived as a highly rated recruit and has the kind of frame and skill set that can fit into a rotation quickly, especially for a team looking to get tougher against the run.
Bryan Brown and the Rebels staff have been upbeat about Barnes potential, and that matters because Ole Miss likes to keep its defensive linemen fresh. If Barnes handles the jump from high school to the SEC the way the staff believes he can, he could carve out real snaps before long and make the kind of early impression that changes how the front is managed all season. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Freshman Could Change The Receiver Picture Sooner Than Expected
Jase Mathews arrived at Ole Miss with plenty of buzz after a standout high school career in Leakesville, and the freshman receiver is already on campus as the Rebels sort through their post-spring depth chart. Signed for the 2026 season, Mathews brings the kind of talent that can force its way into a conversation quickly, especially for a program that has been looking for more answers at receiver.
Ole Miss coaches view him as one of the most intriguing true freshmen in the mix for playing time, and the timing matters with the room taking hits from recent departures. Mathews is still working his way back after missing most of his senior year, so the Rebels will have to balance patience with the possibility that he could push for a role sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]