Ole Miss has wrapped its first week of fall camp, and the early buzz in Oxford is already pointing toward a program trying to keep its foot on the gas.
The Rebels have gone through three media windows so far, with a few limited viewing periods sprinkled between two practices. On episode 88 of The Rebel Rundown Podcast, Ole Miss On SI’s Tyler Komis walked through what he saw over the week and shared what he’s hearing from inside the Manning Center about player performance and roster movement.
There’s more access on the way, too. Ole Miss has two additional media opportunities scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 18 and Friday, Aug.
- Tuesday will bring defensive coordinator Bryan Brown to the podium for the first time this summer.
Brown has spoken a few times since Golding was elevated to head coach, but his last local media availability came back in April during spring camp. This year, fans should hear more from each coordinator than they have in past seasons.
Friday will include limited viewing for the final practice periods before the media speaks with a group of select defensive players. After that, the rest of the month is expected to feel like game week as Ole Miss shifts toward its season opener.
This is Pete Golding’s first fall camp as head coach, and the Rebels are still a little more than three weeks out from opening the 2026 season against Louisville in Nashville. Most sportsbooks list Ole Miss as a one-possession favorite over the Cardinals.
The larger picture around the program hasn’t changed much: Ole Miss is trying to keep building on the stretch it has put together over the last few years. Since the 2023 season, the Rebels have won at least 10 games every year. Last fall was the peak of that run, with Ole Miss finishing 13-3, reaching the College Football Playoff for the first time and winning two postseason games.
The season ended one step short of the national title game. Ole Miss lost to Miami in the semifinals in Glendale, Arizona after a controversial no-call pass interference on De’Zhaun Stribling in the end zone on the final play.
Now the focus turns to what comes next. Ole Miss is facing a tougher schedule with nine SEC games ahead, but the expectation inside the program is clear: another playoff push, fueled by returners like Trinidad Chambliss, Kewan Lacy, Suntarine Perkins, Will Echoles and others, along with the nation’s No. 2 transfer portal class.
In Other News...
Trinidad Chambliss Just Gave Ole Miss A Massive Preseason Boost
ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit has already put a national spotlight on Trinidad Chambliss, and that is no small thing for a quarterback coming off a major leap from Division II Ferris State to Ole Miss. Chambliss arrived with a rsum that immediately turned heads, then backed it up by helping lead the Rebels to the College Football Playoff semifinals and earning SEC Newcomer of the Year honors.
Now the expectations around him are only growing as Pete Golding begins his first season as head coach. Ole Miss opens with a neutral-site matchup against Louisville on September 6, and if Chambliss carries anything close to the buzz he has generated in the preseason, the Rebels could enter the fall with one of the most intriguing storylines in the country. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Fall Camp Is Revealing Three Crucial Offensive Answers
Fall camp has been doing what it is supposed to do for Ole Miss: sorting out who can handle bigger jobs when the pace picks up and the details get sharper. Makhi Frazier, Terez Davis and Caleb Odom are all in the middle of that process under Pete Golding, each of them sliding into new responsibilities that could matter once the season starts. Frazier has moved into the backup running back spot, Davis is lining up to start at left tackle and Odom is working toward a larger role at tight end.
For John David Baker, the tight end transition is always one of the more revealing parts of camp because the position has so much to absorb in this offense. Odom is getting a firsthand look at that learning curve, while the broader tempo and system are forcing all three players to adjust quickly. For Ole Miss, the value of camp right now is less about polished answers than about finding out which players can handle the next layer of responsibility without losing speed. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Is Counting On Johntay Cook To Prove He Can Be Trusted
Ole Miss spent the offseason reshaping its receiver room, bringing in five new wideouts from the transfer portal after key departures thinned the group. Among the most intriguing additions is Johntay Cook II, a former five-star prospect whose path has already taken him from Texas to Washington and then to Syracuse, where he put up 45 catches for 549 yards and two touchdowns last season.
The talent has never been the question with Cook, and that is why his fit in Oxford is worth watching. Ole Miss is expecting him to help on offense this fall, but the Rebels are also betting that his past off-field baggage stays in the background long enough for his production to matter. In a room with fresh faces and new roles, the real challenge is not just finding targets for him, but counting on him when the games start to tighten up. [Read more 🡒]