Ole Miss has the kind of star power that can carry a season, but the Rebels’ 2026 ceiling will be decided by everything happening around the headliners.
Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy sit at the center of a dangerous offense. The pair gives Ole Miss a chance to trade blows with just about anybody, and both are expected to post huge seasons that keep the Rebels in games from start to finish.
On the other side, Will Echoles and Suntarine Perkins are the names driving Pete Golding and Bryan Brown’s defense. Both are All-SEC players, and both should provide a major boost to the front seven.
Still, the stars alone won’t be enough. The SEC slate is going to be brutal, and injuries are going to play a role in how far this team can go. That puts a premium on the rest of the roster holding up its end.
Kam Franklin is one of the key pieces in that mix. The defensive end put up five sacks and 69 total tackles last season, and with Ole Miss losing sack leader Princewill Umanmielen to the transfer portal, Franklin is the player expected to help fill that gap.
There’s also real buzz around the newcomers on the edge and at linebacker. Keaton Thomas and Luke Ferrelli are being treated like difference-makers, and Ferrelli comes in after being named the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year. He finished with 91 total tackles and one sack.
Ferrelli is expected to handle the defensive play-calling on the field, while Thomas brings the downhill, aggressive style that can change the tone of a defense. If those two meet expectations, Ole Miss could have a defense that is flat-out dangerous.
The offense has its own supporting cast to count on, including wide receiver Deuce Alexander and offensive lineman Patrick Kutas. Kutas was recognized with SEC Preseason All-Third Team honors. Like the defense, the offense will also lean on transfer additions that Ole Miss fans will get to know as the year unfolds.
Kewan Lacy’s workload has already become a major talking point in fall camp. He led the nation in carries last season and had shoulder surgery this offseason, which is where Michigan State transfer Makhi Frazier comes in.
Frazier ran for 520 yards last season and is there to lighten Lacy’s load. He can serve as a change-of-pace back and help keep the offense fresh, and he’s one of the players Ole Miss is counting on to rotate in without any drop in production.
That depth may end up being the Rebels’ biggest asset. The stars can win the big moments, but the ability to survive the grind of the season and absorb injuries is what makes Golding’s team so intriguing.
In Other News...
Lane Kiffin Just Gave Ole Miss Fans Another Reason To React
Dr Pepper has leaned into college footballs coaching soap-opera culture again, this time with a new commercial built around Lane Kiffin and a joke that Ole Miss fans know all too well. The spot, titled Illegal Lane Change, pairs Kiffin with Brian Bosworth in a sheriff role and pokes at Kiffins reputation for moving from job to job while still under contract, a storyline that has followed him from Oxford to Baton Rouge.
For Rebels fans, the timing makes the ad land even harder because Kiffin is now leading LSU into the 2026 season with a schedule loaded with familiar emotional checkpoints, including Ole Miss, Alabama, Clemson, Texas and Tennessee. The commercial may be lighthearted, but it is another reminder that every Kiffin appearance can still send a jolt through the fan base he left behind. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Just Reopened An Old Wound For Ole Miss Fans
Lane Kiffin has managed to stir up plenty of noise again, and this time it is not coming from a Saturday on the sideline. LSU is pushing to add former NFL players DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris to its roster as fifth-year seniors, a move that has drawn pushback from SEC chancellors and presidents and sent the issue into a broader legal fight involving the SEC, NCAA and Louisiana officials.
For Ole Miss fans, the familiar irritation is not just that Kiffin is in the middle of another controversy, but that he has once again made himself the center of it while publicly defending the effort. The dispute has reopened an old wound around how he operates, and even without a final resolution yet, it is already the kind of off-field mess that tends to follow him well beyond one school or one conference room. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Heads Into Louisville With A Few Roles Suddenly Up For Grabs
Ole Miss heads into its trip to Louisville still sorting out a few moving pieces, and that is not necessarily a bad thing this early in the season. Pete Golding has seen enough to know the Rebels are getting useful signs from several players, including Caleb Cunningham, Luke Hasz and transfer safety Edwin Joseph, as the staff works through roster and operational adjustments with an eye on how those pieces fit together.
Cunninghams return from injury has positioned him for a bigger role, while Hasz has given the defense a lift with his work in coverage. Joseph, meanwhile, made a strong impression in summer practices, and his early momentum is part of what makes this a meaningful week for Ole Miss as it continues to sort out who is ready for what once the competition ramps up. [Read more 🡒]