Ole Miss has a clear name to watch as Chris Beard heads into his fourth season in Oxford: Patton Pinkins.
The sophomore guard is coming off a freshman year that gave the Rebels something to build on. Pinkins started 20 games, logged nearly 25 minutes per night, and finished with averages of 9.3 points per game and less than one assist per game. Now, with Ole Miss dealing with plenty of roster turnover heading into 2026, Beard will need more from one of the few proven pieces still in place.
That belief got a boost this summer from CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, who included Pinkins among his five breakout players in the SEC for the upcoming season. Rothstein’s list also featured Florida guard Isaiah Brown, Kentucky center Malachi Moreno, Alabama forward London Jemison, and Tennessee forward Dewayne Brown.
Rothstein’s confidence in Pinkins stands in contrast to where he slotted the Rebels as a team. In his SEC preseason power rankings, Ole Miss came in 12th.
For Beard, the timing matters. He guided Ole Miss to the NCAA Tournament in his second season, but last year was a step back after the Rebels came close to a March breakthrough and fell in the SEC Tournament semifinals to eventual champion Arkansas. With the roster changing and the expectations around the program still climbing, Pinkins looks like one of the players who could help determine whether this season moves Ole Miss forward.
The former four-star recruit is now being asked to take that next jump, and Beard will be counting on him to do it.
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Ole Miss Offense Faces One Massive Test After Lane Kiffins Exit
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Chambliss is coming off a season that put him at the top of the league in passing, and the next step is proving that production can carry over through a coaching change. Golding's biggest challenge is preserving the rhythm and aggressiveness that made this offense work while making the transition feel seamless, because with this much talent in place, anything less than a smooth handoff would be hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]