Ole Miss will reportedly kick off the first official full year under new head coach Pete Golding on March 23. That’s when the Rebels are expected to open spring ball after finishing ranked No. 3 in last season’s national polls.
Just what exactly spring practices will look like (and how much of it we will see) has yet to be announced.
Ole Miss returns two expected-to-be, preseason Heisman Trophy candidates in quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy. Both players were instrumental in leading Ole Miss to its 13-2 record in 2025.
Chambliss won an appeal versus the NCAA at a chancery court hearing in Pittsboro, Miss., in February, making him eligible for the 2026 season.
Also returning is kicker Lucas Carniero, one of the nation’s best. Carneiro was the only college kicker with four field goals of at least 55 yards this postseason, breaking his own Sugar Bowl record that he had set earlier in the same game.
Ole Miss returning QB Trinidad Chambliss works out.
Ole Miss made a run through the national playoffs last season under Golding. Former head coach Lane Kiffin departed for the head job at LSU after the regular-season finale versus Mississippi State. Though Kiffin wanted to coach the Rebels through the playoffs, athletics director Keith Carter told him “no.” Ole Miss did not conduct a coaching search but simply and immediately hired Golding, who was on the staff as the defensive coordinator, to replace Kiffin.
Golding then guided the Rebels to two playoff wins against the likes of Tulane in Oxford and Georgia at the Sugar Bowl. The Rebels finally faltered inn the final seconds of the Fiesta Bowl national semifinal against the Miami Hurricanes.
Ole Miss will open the 2026 season on Sept., 5, in Nashville versus the Louisville Cardinals.
OleMiss365.com will provide on-the-scene and detailed reports daily from the Rebels’ spring practices.