Ole Miss kept one eye on fall camp and the other on the future, landing a big recruiting win in the middle of the preseason grind.
The Rebels picked up a commitment from 2028 four-star defensive lineman Antavion Allen, according to Rivals. The Hattiesburg, Mississippi, product is staying in state and heading to Oxford, giving Pete Golding and his staff another homegrown piece to build around.
At 6-foot-4 and 290 pounds, Allen brings the kind of frame Ole Miss can plug into the SEC trenches down the line. He also arrives with a résumé that jumps off the page: in the 2025 season, he totaled 66 tackles, including 21 for loss, along with 18 sacks and a forced fumble.
Allen becomes just the second commitment in Ole Miss’ 2028 class, joining three-star wide receiver Latedrick Mallard of McComb, Mississippi, who pledged to the Rebels on June 22.
The offer list shows just how hard Allen was pursued. Oregon, Texas, LSU, Alabama, Missouri, Tennessee, Florida, Auburn, Florida State, UNLV, Oregon State, Mississippi State, Georgia Tech, Tulane and several others were in the mix.
For Ole Miss, landing two Mississippi natives in the 2028 cycle gives the program an early foothold as the staff continues juggling the 2026 season and finalizing the 2027 class. And while the Rebels are still working on the current and next recruiting cycles, the 2027 group is already taking shape.
That class includes commitments from four-star wide receiver Alvin Mosley, defensive linemen Ben'Jarvius Shumaker, Marvin Nguetsop and Mitchell Turner, quarterback Keegan Croucher, offensive lineman Antonio Berry, cornerback Taelyn Mayo and others.
There’s still work ahead in 2027, though. Most of the top names in that class have already landed elsewhere, which means Ole Miss will need to chase flips during the season and all the way to signing day if it wants to keep adding talent.
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Lane Kiffin Faces A New Ole Miss Debate Over Trinidad Chambliss
Trinidad Chambliss went from injury replacement to the face of Ole Miss football in 2025, taking over after Austin Simmons went down and helping push the Rebels to a program-record 13 wins while coming close to reaching the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. His rise has only sharpened the conversation around what it all means for Lane Kiffins reputation, especially after one SEC coach suggested Chamblisss breakout had more to do with the quarterback himself than with the head coach drawing the plays.
Chambliss is back for a final season after winning a court battle to return, and hell do so under Pete Golding as Ole Miss opens 2026 against Louisville with expectations that will be hard to miss. The quarterback is already being talked about as a Heisman Trophy contender, which only adds another layer to the debate in Oxford: whether Kiffins offense helped create the moment, or whether Chambliss was the kind of player who could have turned heads anywhere. [Read more 🡒]
Pete Golding Sees An Early Sign Ole Miss Defense Is Advancing Fast
Pete Golding did not need much time to see why Ole Miss walked into fall camp feeling ahead of schedule on defense. The Rebels carried over continuity from spring and summer workouts, and the return of key pieces like Edwin Joseph and Jordan Renaud gave the staff a familiar base to build on. Golding also pointed to the offseason development structure and the way new offensive coordinator John David Baker helped make the transition smoother, with players already showing a stronger grasp of the playbook than a typical camp opener might suggest.
For a defense trying to take a step forward, that kind of early comfort matters because the real test comes when the tempo rises and mistakes stop being theoretical. Golding believes the groups versatility should help it handle adversity, but fall camp is where that confidence gets stress-tested against pressure, alignment checks and the kind of mental load that can expose whether a unit is truly ahead of the curve. [Read more 🡒]
John David Baker Faces Ole Miss Offense Debate Fans Cant Ignore
Ole Miss comes into the season with real offensive standards attached to it after last years group finished third in the SEC in points per game and led the league in passing and total yards. John David Baker now inherits that machine as offensive coordinator, and the job is less about starting from scratch than finding a way to keep the production humming while fitting the attack more cleanly with what the defense needs behind it.
The balancing act is what makes Bakers first turn so interesting. Ole Miss also went into the portal to deepen the receiving room, bringing in Syracuse wideouts Darrell Gill Jr. and Johntay Cook, which gives the offense more options if the staff wants to keep its pace high. The open question is whether Baker leans into the same aggressive approach that made the Rebels so hard to handle or dials it back enough to help the rest of the team breathe a little easier. [Read more 🡒]