Ole Miss is running out of runway in fall camp, and the picture is getting clearer with one final practice viewing left before the doors close. The Rebels are expected to shift into game-week mode after Friday, then turn fully toward their season opener against Louisville, a top-25 matchup that kicks off the year.
Before that scrimmage and the final stretch of prep work, three things have come into focus for the 2026 Rebels.
The first is the defense, and there’s no hiding the confidence coming out of that room. Ole Miss spent the winter and spring talking up the additions and returners across the unit, and that belief has only grown as camp has rolled on.
The Rebels were a 13-win team that reached the national semifinals, but last season’s defense still had its flaws. At times it had trouble stopping the run and gave up explosive plays through the air in key moments.
This year, the staff thinks the front seven can stand with anybody, and the secondary may be strong enough to make the whole group even tougher. Defensive coordinator Bryan Brown said this week the unit has the “chance” to be better than the one he helped coach in 2024, a defense that finished with more than 50 sacks and allowed under 15 points per game.
“I think when you compare those two - that group in ‘24 was really talented and I think this group has a lot of talent. I think we got a little bit more depth, especially up front,” Brown said this week.
“Secondary wise I think we got a little bit of depth as well. I wouldn’t say, right now, they’re going to be better than that group, but we have a chance to be if we do things right and do our job and execute at a high level.
But we do have a chance to be better than that group and we have a little bit more depth than that ‘24 group.”
Another important camp battle has been at backup quarterback, where Ole Miss is trying to settle on the right answer behind the starter. That spot mattered a lot last season after Austin Simmons went down, and the Rebels have spent the offseason trying to avoid being caught flat-footed again.
The competition has centered on junior AJ Maddox and sophomore Auburn transfer Deuce Knight. Both have made progress over the past six months, but Knight has begun to pull away. Ole Miss likes both quarterbacks, though the staff also knows it may not be able to keep both past this season.
"Deuce has continued to flash, obviously a real problem in plus-one runs with his size and speed," Pete Golding said earlier this offseason. "He's doing a good job offensively, creating some of those issues.
He had some big runs today. He's getting better at delivering the football and making good decisions, which will continue to come with time."
"You see the flashes with AJ. It's the consistency of playing the position, step in and snap out."
John David Baker echoed that optimism this month, pointing to Knight’s ability to keep the ball in the right place and the added dimension he brings as a runner.
“The thing about Deuce is that he rarely puts the ball in the wrong spot,” offensive coordinator John David Baker noted of Knight this month. “It might not be exactly how you want it or exactly on time, but he’s putting the ball in the right spot.
If he’s doing that, we can work with it…He adds a different element with his size, speed and what he can do running the football. But as far as operating the offense, I’m really pleased with where he is and feel very comfortable with him.”
The last major spot still waiting to be settled is right tackle, where Ole Miss is sorting through a thinner offensive line than it would like. The main names there are Tommy Kinsler IV and Carius Curne, with Kinsler IV holding the edge after a strong summer. Curne has also reportedly turned things around over the past few weeks, and sophomore Connor Howes has worked his way into the conversation as a possible rotational piece.
Curne had been expected to claim a starting tackle job early on, but an uneven spring on and off the field changed that outlook. Kinsler IV, the Miami transfer, has been one of the camp standouts and has handled most of the first-team reps. Saturday’s scrimmage should provide another important checkpoint in that race.
In Other News...
Former Ole Miss TE Suddenly Sits At Center Of A Wild Eligibility Twist
Dae'Quan Wright has landed in a strange new spot for a player already in the NFL, with the Cleveland Browns rookie tight end entering the NCAA transfer portal and becoming the first active pro to do it. For Ole Miss fans, it is the kind of headline that instantly pulls an old name back into the conversation, because the former Rebels tight end is now tied to a legal and procedural shift that could open an unusual path back to college football.
A temporary restraining order from a Louisiana judge has put the NCAAs five-year eligibility clock under new pressure, creating a window for players with professional experience to potentially return to college. Wright is not alone in feeling out the edges of that ruling, as several other former NFL players are expected to explore the portal or pursue eligibility challenges, turning what once looked like a closed chapter into one of the sports most unexpected offseason storylines. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Suddenly Has A High Stakes Eligibility Fight To Watch
A new eligibility dispute has put three former Ole Miss players back in the spotlight, even as they are trying to move on to the next level. DaeQuan Wright, Wydett Williams Jr. and Zxavian Harris were part of a lawsuit against the NCAA that grew out of a federal court injunction for athletes in the 2022 recruiting class, a case tied to the leagues five-for-five plan and the push for a little more flexibility on college eligibility.
For Ole Miss, the practical stakes are easy to see. Wright and Williams are already in NFL training camp after signing as undrafted free agents, while Harris is part of the same legal picture that could reshape whether any of them have a college option waiting if pro football does not stick. It is the kind of ruling that can linger around a program long after the roster has turned over, especially when the next step for former Rebels is still being sorted out. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Is Suddenly Tied To A Portal Situation No One Expected
DaeQuan Wright, a former Ole Miss tight end now with the Cleveland Browns, has become part of an unusual new wrinkle in college football after entering the NCAA transfer portal. The move makes him the first active NFL player to test this path, coming in the wake of a recent court ruling that opened the door for certain former NFL players to pursue college eligibility again.
For Ole Miss, the significance is less about a reunion and more about what this kind of ruling could mean for the roster-building landscape going forward. Pete Golding has already made it clear that timing and roster limits would make it unlikely for the Rebels to add players in this situation, and the NCAA is expected to appeal, leaving the whole development in a state of limbo for now. [Read more 🡒]