Ole Miss may have found its deepest strength right in the middle of the defensive line.
After breaking down the EDGE group, the next stop in the position previews is defensive tackle, and this is where Pete Golding appears to have stocked up for real. In the SEC, the trenches decide everything, and if the first three or four defenders up front can’t hold their own, CFP dreams can disappear fast. Golding clearly took that seriously.
The room includes a mix of returning names and new additions: Jeheim Oatis, Will Echoles, Michai Boireau, Jayden Curtis, Andrew Maddox, Jamarious Brown, and Kamron Beavers. Echoles is the familiar headliner after a breakout sophomore season, while Oatis and Boireau arrive as the two massive additions who change the look of the interior. Oatis is listed at 6’5”, 340, and Boireau at 6’5”, 355, and that kind of bulk can clog lanes and drive offensive lines backward.
Echoles is expected to carry major responsibility again this season, but Oatis is the real swing piece. The summer buzz around him is that Golding pushed him, and he’s responded. If that carries into camp, Ole Miss could have a dangerous interior rotation.
Boireau is projected to start alongside Echoles heading into camp, though Oatis is the wild card who could force his way into that spot. The prediction here is that Oatis does break camp as a starter. With him, Echoles, and Boireau, Ole Miss can roll out a three-man core that looks built to cause problems.
Franklin is also expected to matter because of his size, especially in speed sets with Perkins on the outside. That gives the Rebels another body they can trust in certain situations, and it helps deepen the rotation even further.
There’s also room for Jamarious Brown and Andrew Maddox to work their way into the mix. Both are a little slimmer for the position, but in the old school NASCAR packages, their speed could become an asset. Beavers and Curtis round out the depth chart, with the group shaping up as five deep, plus Franklin working into the rotation.
Projected depth chart: Will Echoles, Jehiem Oatis, Michai Boireau, Jamarious Brown, Andrew Maddox, Kamron Beavers, Jayden Curtis.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Fall Camp Is Putting Two Key Position Battles In Focus
Ole Miss has kicked off its 2026 fall camp, and as usual, the first days are about more than just conditioning and installs. They are about sorting out who can turn offseason opportunity into a real role once the games start, with several spots still open and coaches taking a close look at how players perform when the pace picks up.
Among the names drawing attention are transfers Horatio Fields Jr. and Blake Purchase, along with freshman Caleb Cunningham, all of whom have a path to meaningful snaps if camp goes the right way. Their backgrounds and early progress give the Rebels options at key positions, but the depth chart is still very much in motion, and the most interesting part of this camp may be how long that competition stays unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Enters Camp With One Big Question Around Trinidad Chambliss
Ole Miss heads into preseason practice with a familiar name at the center of everything in Trinidad Chambliss, who returns for the 2026 season and lands on the Maxwell Award preseason watch list alongside running back Kewan Lacy. After a roster cycle that sent several receivers on to the NFL, the Rebels have gone to the transfer portal to restock the passing game and give Chambliss a supporting cast that can keep the offense moving without much of a reset.
The bigger intrigue is how quickly the offense can settle in with John David Baker now running it on a permanent basis after finishing last season in the role and bringing in experience from his two seasons at East Carolina. Ole Miss is clearly betting on continuity where it can find it, but camp will still answer the question that matters most around this team: how smooth can the transition be around Chambliss when the pieces around him are still being sorted out? [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss May Have Real Leverage In Former Rebels Fight
Ole Miss has taken an unusual step in its fight with two former players, filing civil lawsuits against Princewill Umanmielen and Devin Harper over unpaid buyouts tied to revenue-sharing contracts. The cases center on deals the players signed for the 2026 season before leaving for LSU, and the Rebels are seeking nearly $1 million in total damages as the school pushes to enforce the terms.
The legal battle now turns on a familiar question in these kinds of disputes: whether the buyout figures will hold up as reasonable in court. Legal experts expect the matter to settle, but the larger issue for Ole Miss is whether those penalties matched the players market value when the contracts were signed, a point that could shape how much leverage the school really has if this becomes a bigger test case. [Read more 🡒]