With Ole Miss only 12 days from its season opener against Louisville in Nashville, the Rebels are running out of mysteries up front. The left side looks settled, and the right tackle race is starting to tilt in one direction.
Terez Davis has taken control of the starting job at left tackle, while senior Miami transfer Tommy Kinsler IV is still the front-runner at right tackle, according to Pete Golding.
“It’s still an open competition. I think Tommy has really, really flashed.
I thought this second scrimmage he played really, really probably about 30-35 snaps,” Golding said Monday. “The tempo in which we play and the amount of snaps right now that position is going to have to play, I think we gotta continue to get him in shape…I would say, right now, definitely Tommy has probably flashed and been the most consistent up to this point.”
Ole Miss brought in four tackles through the transfer portal this offseason, and on paper the headline addition was LSU transfer Carius Curne. The 6-foot-5, 335-pound sophomore started 10 games for the Tigers in 2025 at both tackle spots, giving the Rebels a proven option with size and experience.
But Curne’s spring got off to a slow start, and a banged-up summer pushed him back a bit. Even so, he is still very much in the mix, and his recent scrimmage work has drawn positive notice.
“Obviously getting Curne back for progressive weeks in a row has helped, has flashed and done some good things,” Golding explained. “Another guy that falls in that consistency category right now.
You’re still looking -‘How can we rotate a couple guys for worst case scenarios?’. And then ‘what does one do better than the other?’
from a package standpoint. But we got this week to kind of decide that and then we kind of gotta make that decision next week.”
Health has been a theme across camp, and the offensive line has taken plenty of the wear and tear. Golding said the unit, along with cornerback, has been one of the main areas where Ole Miss has had to shuffle bodies during fall camp.
“I think obviously everybody after camp or this last week is kind of banged up within reason. There’s a difference between being hurt and injured.
Camp is about building calluses and learning to fight through things and very rarely in this sport are you going to be 100 percent week in and week out in this league,” Golding added. “I would say during camp has probably been corner and o-line have been the two areas where you’re kind of plug and play, and doing some things to where if it was a game week, you would have moved some pieces.
But they’re all healthy and back going into this week.”
In Other News...
Pete Golding Is Taking A Very Different Ole Miss Roster Approach
Pete Golding is approaching the new NCAA eligibility landscape with a different kind of patience at Ole Miss, even as the changes have already started to reshape rosters across the league. The rule adjustments that allow certain players to come back for a fifth year have created a fresh market for experienced veterans, and former Rebels are among the ones taking advantage of it by moving on to Lane Kiffins current team in Baton Rouge.
Golding has not added one of those players yet, but he has not shut the door on the idea either. His stance is more selective than aggressive, with the Rebels coach saying roster fit and team needs will guide any move as the ripple effects of the eligibility shift keep playing out. Kiffin, meanwhile, has been more active in that same space, underscoring just how differently the two coaches are navigating the same new reality. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Took Unusual Security Steps After Lane Kiffin Left
Ole Miss found itself dealing with more than just the jolt of Lane Kiffins departure to LSU, and the school responded by tightening security around its football facility. Defensive coordinator Pete Golding said the team did not formally call the FBI, but he did confirm that a players father who works for the bureau locally checked the building for listening devices, a detail that underscores how strange the aftermath of the coaching change became around the program.
The Rebels had already taken standard security precautions during their playoff run, but the response after Kiffin left went a step further and reflected the unease that can follow a high-profile exit. For a team trying to keep its focus on the field, even routine operations suddenly carried a little more sensitivity, and Ole Miss made sure the building itself was treated with the same caution as the game plan. [Read more 🡒]
SEC Takes A Stand As Former Rebels Fuel A New Concern
The SECs latest statement landed as more than just another conference memo, especially for schools like Ole Miss that have watched the transfer market and roster rules reshape college football almost by the week. By backing the Protect College Sports Act, the league made its position plain: college sports are for college athletes, and the conference wants that boundary protected as the sport keeps blurring lines between the college and pro levels.
For Ole Miss, the issue has a more immediate edge because former Rebels DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris, both recently waived by NFL teams, are reportedly on track to commit to LSU. Their situation reflects a growing trend of former professional players heading back to college football, a development that could alter how rosters are built and how the 2026 season begins to take shape. [Read more 🡒]