The 2025 Ole Miss Rebels’ historic season has come to an end. A heartbreaking loss in the College Football Playoff semifinals to Miami ended their run Thursday night. However, it was one that Rebel fans will never forget. Their first playoff appearance. The first 12 and 13 wins in program history. And, of course, there was the drama with their head coach leaving for another job before the season ended.
But now, despite the good times and bad, that campaign has come to a close. Which means the push towards the 2026 season is now fully underway in Oxford. So what are the biggest keys for Ole Miss this offseason, and how do they find a way to return to the College Football Playoff next season?
Keys to a Successful Ole Miss Offseason
The Trinidad Chambliss Waiver Drama
Apart from the on-field action, this is one of the biggest storylines in the sport currently. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was seeking a waiver for another year of eligibility. This stems from a medical situation he had back in 2022 while at Ferris State. However, the NCAA announced that it was denying the request. But Ole Miss and attorney Tom Mars have announced that they will be seeking an appeal of the decision. This largely needs to be the first puzzle piece to fall for the Rebels this offseason. For a multitude of reasons. Backup Austin Simmons has now left the program and transferred to Missouri. So currently, while most of the offense is returning, the Rebels don’t have much in terms of a quarterback for next season.
If the appeal were to be successful, or if they were given an injunction, similar to what Diego Pavia received last year, Chambliss would return to Oxford. He would also be one of the best returning quarterbacks in college football. If the appeal were to also be denied, the Rebels would be in dire need of another quarterback option. And while they’ve been connected to a few different transfer portal options, including Auburn transfer Deuce Knight, nothing has been made official as of now.
The Rebel Defense Has to Improve
This is the next key for the Ole Miss offseason. The defense has to greatly improve. In 2024, the defensive unit finished in the top 10 nationally in most statistical categories. In 2025, those rankings largely dropped to somewhere around 50 in most categories. Given the production lost, there was the expectation they would take some type of step back. But for a lot of people, how far the step was is somewhat concerning.
More importantly, is the way they looked in their final two games. In their quarterfinal win over Georgia, they gave up 27. Seven of the Bulldogs’ points came on a fumble return for a touchdown. And against Miami in the semifinal, they gave up 31. Making matters worse was the way it looked live. They were pushed off the ball in the run game. And in the secondary, there were numerous busted coverages, and players giving up huge gains because they didn’t seem to know their assignments.
As we head towards the 2026 season, that has to change. The good news is that with a defensive-minded guy like Pete Golding now being the head coach, there won’t be a lack of focus on defense in terms of recruiting, whether that be high school or through the portal. The bad news is that there’s obviously a ton of work that needs to be done. With a lot of production on offense returning, if they can fix the defense, there’s a reasonable chance that Ole Miss can make another playoff appearance next season.
How Well Can the Coaching Staff Connect?
Obviously, there’s going to be a lot of new faces on the Ole Miss coaching staff. Pete Golding is the new head coach. John David Baker is set to be the new offensive coordinator. And Frank Wilson is set to take over as running backs coach. While there are more new faces, those are the biggest positions with new faces. Which means one of the biggest questions is how well the new additions work together. If they can gel together smoothly, there’s going to be plenty of talent within the coaching ranks in Oxford.
The other concern is something that can’t necessarily be fixed in the offseason. That is coaching experience. For Golding, he’s only been a head coach for three games. There’s likely a learning curve in terms of in-game decision-making that only comes with experience. This means there could be some decisions throughout games that Rebel fans potentially question. However, the hope would be that those types of things get better as he gains more experience as a head coach.
For Baker, while he has experience as an offensive coordinator, this is going to be his first Power Four conference job as a team’s lone play caller. He spent three seasons at Ole Miss from 2021 to 2023, but he was only a co-offensive coordinator for his final two seasons in Oxford. He has since spent the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator at East Carolina. While he’s had success as a Pirate, the SEC is a different challenge. As a younger guy, he should be able to connect well with the players. He also runs a similar system to that of Charlie Weis Jr. This should make the offensive transition for Ole Miss a bit easier.
A Successful Ole Miss Offseason Could Lead to a Big 2026 Season
There are certainly plenty of questions leading into the offseason for the Rebels. However, coming on the heels of the most successful season in school history, there should be optimism for Ole Miss. If they can fix the defensive issues and get a clear answer to the Chambliss waiver saga, that optimism would greatly increase.
At that point, it would come down to how well the new coaching staff handles bigger responsibilities and whether they can work well together. Based on the success the new faces have had at their respective jobs in the past, the hope for Rebel fans should be that none of that should ultimately be a problem.
Despite a tough loss to end their season, Ole Miss now heads into the offseason trending in the right direction.
Main Image: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
