Ole Miss Holds Steady Amid Portal Shake-Up, Despite LSU’s Late Push
The NCAA transfer portal officially closed Friday, but schools had until midnight Tuesday to finalize and submit their outgoing players. For Ole Miss, the final name entered into the system was a big one: standout defensive end Princewill Umanmielen.
His expected destination? SEC rival LSU.
And with that move, the Tigers - or any program landing him - will owe Ole Miss $550,000 in buyout compensation, thanks to a revenue-sharing agreement Umanmielen signed with the Rebels.
Umanmielen’s departure caps what turned out to be a relatively controlled portal period for Ole Miss, even with LSU making a hard push for talent in Oxford. While there was plenty of buzz and some real movement, the damage was far from catastrophic.
Let’s start with the key losses. Umanmielen was a force off the edge, leading the Rebels with nine sacks last season.
He was a cornerstone of the defense and his exit will be felt. Linebacker TJ Dottery is another starter heading to Baton Rouge, though his situation was a bit different.
Ole Miss and Dottery never reached a finalized compensation agreement for 2026, which opened the door for LSU to swoop in. Dottery was on the field for every snap of the Rebels’ College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Miami - a testament to his durability and importance.
LSU also landed two promising freshmen: offensive tackle Devin Harper and wide receiver Winston Watkins. Harper, a 6-foot-4, 315-pound lineman from Shreveport, Louisiana, was projected to be in the mix for the starting left tackle job in 2026.
His return to his home state comes with a price tag, as LSU owes Ole Miss a buyout for him as well. As for Watkins, Ole Miss never made a formal offer for next season, and his move to LSU had been expected since Lane Kiffin took over in Baton Rouge.
There was plenty of chatter online about LSU targeting other Ole Miss players - names like running back Kewan Lacy, defensive tackle William Echoles, and linebacker Trinidad Chambliss were floated. Sources say LSU made a late, seven-figure offer to Echoles in the final hours before the portal closed.
But in the end, none of those deals materialized. Lacy and Echoles recommitted to the Rebels, and Chambliss signed one of the top NIL agreements in the country, pending his eligibility.
That’s the big question now: will Chambliss be cleared to play next season? The NCAA Appeals Committee is scheduled to hear his case on Wednesday, though there’s no timeline for a decision. Meanwhile, Chambliss has also filed a legal complaint in Lafayette County Chancery Court seeking an injunction that would allow him to suit up for the Rebels in 2026.
If Chambliss is eligible and lines up under center, Ole Miss should find itself comfortably inside the preseason top five. The Rebels are coming off a 13-2 season and have built momentum through both high school recruiting and the portal.
One name still in flux is wide receiver Cayden Lee. He’s in the portal but hasn’t announced a destination. Sources say he’d consider returning to Oxford if Chambliss is cleared to play, but the current expectation is that Lee will join former Rebel quarterback Austin Simmons at Missouri - regardless of how the Chambliss situation plays out.
Despite the outgoing transfers, Ole Miss has been aggressive and successful in replenishing its roster. The Rebels currently hold the No. 2 incoming transfer class in the country, according to 247Sports, with 26 commitments. Their overall recruiting ranking, which combines high school and portal additions, sits at No. 13 - the highest mark of the transfer portal era for the program.
In today’s college football landscape, player movement is constant - especially when coaching changes shake up the scene. We’ve seen it already this offseason: Penn State added 24 players from Iowa State after Matt Campbell made the move to Happy Valley.
Iowa State then picked up 15 players from Washington State, following new head coach Jimmy Rogers. And Utah sent four starters to Michigan to reunite with Kyle Whittingham.
That kind of attrition is almost inevitable, particularly when a coach makes a lateral move to a similar program. Lane Kiffin was always going to bring some familiar faces with him to LSU. He’s one of the best in the business at selling a vision through the portal.
But for Ole Miss, even with Umanmielen’s expected departure, this cycle feels like a win. The Rebels held their ground, kept key pieces in place, and continued building a roster that’s not just competitive - it’s built to contend. Stability is rare in the portal era, but Ole Miss is showing they’ve got it.