{"id":86981,"date":"2026-04-22T12:00:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T16:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=86981"},"modified":"2026-04-22T11:19:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T15:19:39","slug":"a-quiet-spring-for-ole-miss-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2026\/04\/22\/a-quiet-spring-for-ole-miss-football\/","title":{"rendered":"A Quiet Spring for Ole Miss Football"},"content":{"rendered":"
Spring practice is winding down in Oxford, as it is in its final week. And it’s been a quiet one for the Ole Miss football program. For some, that may seem like a bad thing. For others, it comes as a welcome relief. But regardless of whether it may be good or bad, there’s no question that it’s a huge change from what Rebel fans may be used to.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Needless to say, Ole Miss fans have grown accustomed to the constant social media antics from former head coach Lane Kiffin. Taking subtle shots at other schools was common. Constant trolling on social media seemed like a daily occurrence. And yes, there was also the endless sharing of clips and sound bites from Kiffin’s press conferences.<\/span><\/div>\n
Now, with Pete Golding entering his first full season as a head coach, things have shifted quite a bit. So what have we learned from the Rebels this Spring, and what can we look forward to as Summer and Fall camp begin to approach?<\/span><\/div>\n

Takeaways From Ole Miss Spring Camp<\/span><\/h2>\n

A More Private Program<\/span><\/h3>\n
As mentioned earlier, things have gotten a lot quieter with the new regime at the helm for the Rebels. But it isn’t just that the activity on social media has quieted down. And it isn’t just the fact that there have been fewer clips of the Ole Miss head coach making newsworthy comments in interviews.<\/span><\/div>\n
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It can also be seen in how they’re conducting their Spring game this year (or lack thereof). Kiffin notably removed the typical Spring game from the schedule years ago, replacing it with the Grove Bowl Games. Those consisted largely of random events, including dunk contests, tug-of-war, and even a hot-dog-eating contest with Joey Chestnut one season, ultimately ending with a short 7-on-7 scrimmage.<\/span><\/div>\n
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This season under Golding, they’ve scrapped the events and scrimmage altogether. Instead, they’re set to have “Meet the Rebels” on April 25. It’s a setup that will allow fans the chance to meet the players and coaches, including hearing a Q&A session with the coaches afterward. While likely not as entertaining, it does remove the even minimal risk of injury. And it also creates a deeper, more personal connection between fans and players, as the fans will finally be able to interact with their favorite players.<\/span><\/div>\n
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All of this simply adds to the more private nature of the program. And it creates a deeper sense of community between the program and its fanbase.<\/span><\/div>\n
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The Offensive Upperclassmen Will Need to Lead the Way<\/span><\/h3>\n
Despite former offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr following Kiffin to LSU, this is still an Ole Miss offense that should be explosive. They were one of the nation’s top offenses last season, and they bring a ton of production back. After winning his eligibility appeal, <\/span>Trinidad Chambliss<\/a><\/span> will once again be the Rebels quarterback. Last season, despite not starting the year as the starter, he still led the SEC in passing. <\/span>Kewan Lacy<\/a><\/span> returns after finishing third in the country in rushing yards last season. And <\/span>Deuce Alexander<\/a><\/span> is now slotted to take over as the Rebels’ <\/span>top receiver<\/a><\/span>, after returning from last year’s team, as well.<\/span><\/div>\n
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While there are still plenty of underclassmen who should have the chance to make a difference, it’s the upperclassmen who are going to have to lead the way. That goes for guys returning and upperclassmen transferring in. Obviously, Chambliss, Lacy, and Alexander have to be the leaders. But a guy like <\/span>Darrell Gill Jr<\/a><\/span> should also play a role. The junior enters his first year at Oxford after transferring from Syracuse. The same goes for <\/span>Johntay Cook<\/a><\/span>, another transfer from Syracuse, though he’s a senior.<\/span><\/div>\n
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If these upperclassmen can lead the way for the younger guys, the Ole Miss offense should once again be one of the best in the nation in 2026.<\/span><\/div>\n

Ole Miss Spring Camp Leads to Summer and Fall<\/span><\/h2>\n

A New Offensive System?<\/span><\/h3>\n
This has obviously been one of the biggest talking points for Ole Miss this offseason. How can the offense bounce back after losing Kiffin and Weis Jr? The good news is that <\/span>John David Baker<\/a><\/span> runs a similar system to that of Weis Jr. This should make the transition easier. However, that doesn’t mean it will be seamless. After all, that’s why there’s an offseason.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Not only for Spring camp but also as we move into Summer and Fall, learning the new system is the most important aspect for the offense. We all know there’s returning talent. We all know there’s plenty of talent transferring in. But none of that matters if you can’t learn a new system that comes with new plays, terminology, and everything in between.<\/span><\/div>\n
Now that Spring camp is wrapping up, much of the learning of the new scheme will have to come from the players themselves. If they take it seriously, the offense will look fine for next season. If it becomes a problem, the offense could devolve into a bit of chaos.<\/span><\/div>\n

The Secondary Has to Improve<\/span><\/h3>\n
Last season, the Ole Miss defense was decent, though not great. And the biggest weakness was blatantly apparent in the secondary. This year, the secondary has to improve. And if they’re going to improve, it’s going to come with a big impact from some key transfers.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Leading those transfers is former Georgia safety <\/span>Joenel Aguero<\/a><\/span>. Though he can sometimes get lost in coverage, he’s known as a big hitter who can dislodge the ball from receivers. Also at safety is Florida State transfer <\/span>Edwin Joseph<\/a><\/span>. After redshirting the 2023 season, Joseph appeared in 24 games over the next two seasons for the Seminoles. In those two seasons, he recorded 50 tackles and four interceptions. Another fresh face to look out for is Auburn transfer cornerback Jalyn Crawford. In two seasons at Auburn, he started 18 games for the Tigers, appearing in 22 total. Despite being a bit undersized, Crawford has made a name for himself due to his quick reaction time and ability to break up passes.<\/span><\/div>\n
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With the experience those new guys bring, along with returning defensive backs <\/span>Antonio Kite<\/a><\/span> and <\/span>Cedrick Beavers<\/a><\/span>, this is a Rebel secondary that should be improved from last season. With a defensive line that looks like it could be able to cause problems, if the Ole Miss secondary can get better, the Rebels will have a balanced defensive unit that can create headaches for opposing offenses in 2026.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Main Photo: Ayrton Breckenridge\/Clarion Ledger \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spring practice is winding down in Oxford, as it is in its final week. And it’s been a quiet one for the Ole Miss football program. For some, that may seem like a bad thing. For others, it comes as a welcome relief. But regardless of whether it may be good or bad, there’s no […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4571,"featured_media":87050,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17,35582,3],"tags":[36061,33310,495,4470],"class_list":["post-86981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-news","category-ole-miss-rebels","category-sec","tag-2026-spring-camp","tag-charlie-weis-jr","tag-lane-kiffin","tag-pete-golding"],"modified_by":"Kate Pearson Halyburton, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4571"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86981"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86981\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87052,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86981\/revisions\/87052"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}