With fall camp about to open, Ole Miss is starting to sort out what Week 1 could look like when Louisville comes to town, and the early picture already has a few clear anchors. First-year head coach Pete Golding inherits a roster with plenty of turnover, but the Rebels do have two big pieces back in place: quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy.
That duo gives the offense a strong foundation right away. Chambliss, a senior at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, is projected to lead the huddle, while Lacy, a junior listed at 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds, should again be central to the ground game. Michigan State transfer Makhi Frazier is also in the mix at running back, and he could help lighten the load on Lacy while carving out a real role of his own.
The receiving group has a transfer-heavy look, with Deuce Alexander, Johntay Cook II and Darrell Gill Jr. all projected as the top wideouts. Alexander is a junior at 6-foot-0 and 180 pounds, Cook arrives from Syracuse as a senior at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, and Gill also comes over from Syracuse, listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds.
At tight end, Luke Hasz and Caleb Odom are the names to know, with Hasz a senior at 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds and Odom a junior at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds. On the right side, LSU transfer Carius Curne is projected at right tackle at 6-foot-5 and 330 pounds.
The defense looks built around its front. Suntarine Perkins and Jonathan Maldonado are projected at defensive end, with Perkins a senior at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds and Maldonado, a Nevada transfer, listed at 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds.
Inside, Will Echoles and Florida transfer Michael Boireau are the projected tackles. Echoles is a junior at 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds, while Boireau checks in at 6-foot-5 and 355 pounds.
At linebacker, Keaton Thomas and Luke Ferrelli are the projected starters. Thomas comes from Baylor as a senior at 6-foot-1 and 240 pounds, and Ferrelli is a Cal transfer listed at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds.
The secondary is where the most uncertainty appears to live, with Ole Miss expected to sort through several new pieces. The projected cornerbacks are Jalyn Crawford, Antonio Kite, Sharif Denson and Jalyn Braxton.
Crawford is a junior from Auburn at 6-foot-0 and 180 pounds, Kite is a senior at 6-foot-0 and 190 pounds, Denson comes from Florida as a senior at 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, and Braxton is a junior at 6-foot-0 and 180 pounds.
At safety, Joenel Aguero and Edwin Joseph are the projected starters. Aguero, a Georgia transfer, is a senior at 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, while Joseph arrives from Florida State as a junior at 6-foot-0 and 195 pounds.
The defensive line stands out as the clearest strength, with Perkins and Echoles leading the way. Thomas and Ferrelli should give the Rebels a sturdier linebacker group, but the secondary remains the biggest question mark as the staff works through a reshuffled mix of transfers.
On special teams, Caleb Blankenship is projected as the long snapper, while Izaiah Hartrup is listed as the punt and kick returner. Blankenship is a sophomore at 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds, and Hartrup is a senior at 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds.
In Other News...
Trinidad Chambliss Just Entered A Money Conversation Few Ole Miss Stars Ever Reach
Trinidad Chambliss has spent the fall turning himself into one of the most talked-about quarterbacks in college football, and the money conversation around him has started to match the rise. Two years ago he was playing Division II football, and he did not even open last season as Ole Miss starting quarterback, but his rapid climb has put him in a rare financial tier for a college player.
That backdrop is why the latest comparison landed so hard. LeBron James new contract with the 76ers is being measured against the kind of NIL valuation Chambliss is projected to command next season, a reminder that college footballs top earners now operate in a space that would have sounded impossible not long ago. The numbers are striking enough on their own, even before the broader endorsement and business income picture enters the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Fixed A Lot This Offseason But One Concern Still Lingers
Ole Miss spent the offseason trying to make sure its best players do not have to carry quite so much of the load in 2026. Pete Golding and the staff attacked the transfer portal with depth in mind, adding pieces who can step into starting roles or settle into the rotation, a move that should help the Rebels absorb the grind of an SEC schedule a little better than they did a year ago.
The front seven and backfield both got attention, but the most unsettled part of the roster still sits on the outside. The receiver room has a different look and a lot of new faces, and the challenge now is less about adding bodies than finding dependable production once the competition level rises and the games start to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Reopened The Ole Miss Exit Fans Still Haven't Forgotten
Lane Kiffins name still carries plenty of weight in Oxford, and his comments at SEC Media Days only reminded Ole Miss fans how fresh the old exit still feels. The LSU coach said the move no longer comes up in his current job, with recruits and their families more interested in the Tigers program and history than in revisiting what happened after he left Ole Miss.
For Rebels fans, though, the timing of that departure has never really faded, especially with the program surging toward a College Football Playoff berth after he was gone. Kiffin, meanwhile, is trying to keep the conversation pointed forward, with his attention on getting LSU back into SEC and national title contention, even if the chapter he left behind in Oxford remains part of the backdrop. [Read more 🡒]