Way-Too-Early Louisville 2026 Opponent Preview: Ole Miss

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With the summer months now on the horizon and rosters across college football now firmly set in stone, Louisville Cardinals On SI will provide way-too-early previews for each opponent on their 2026 schedule.

First up, we kick off our way-too-early preview series with the season-opener vs. Ole Miss in Nashville:

Ole Miss Rebels

2026 Meeting: Sunday, Sept. 6 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.
Last Meeting: Ole Miss won 43-24 on Sept. 6, 2021 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
All-Time Series: Ole Miss leads 1-0

2025 marked one of the best seasons in program history for Ole Miss, if not the best. The Rebels went 13-2 for a program record for wins in a single season, and made it all the way to the College Football Playoff semifinals.

This came despite head coach Lane Kiffin bolting for LSU once the regular season ended, leaving Pete Golding as the interim head coach title to guide Ole Miss through the playoffs. After wins over Tulane and Georgia before falling to Miami in the national semifinal, Golding had the interim tag removed and was given the permanent job.

It's no secret what made Ole Miss so successful last season: offense, offense and more offense. The Rebels put up the second-most yards per game in the FBS at 489.7, leading to the 10th-most points at 36.9. Of course, Kiffin's prowess as an offensive playcaller had a lot to do with this, but Ole Miss had talent a plenty on the side of the ball - and returns their top two playmakers.

Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss took over as the starter after Austin Simmons got hurt in game two, and it wound up being the college football equivalent of Wally Pipp and Lou Gehrig. Chambliss put together an electric season worthy of Second-Team All-SEC honors, completing 66.1 percent of his throws for 3,937 yards and 22 touchdowns to just three picks, along with 527 rushing yards for eight scores.

Chambliss finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting, and after having to fight the NCAA to be eligible for 2026, he undoubtedly heads into next season as one of the top candidates to win the Heisman.

He won't have four of his top five targets from last season to throw to thanks to the NFL and the portal, but Chambliss still has a good cast of pass catchers to throw to. Wide receiver Deuce Alexander (44/684/2) is running it back, while wide receivers Darrell Gill Jr. (32/506/5) and Johntay Cook (45/549/2) both transfer in from Syracuse, as did wide receiver Horatio Fields (39/463/4 in 2024 at Wake Forest) from Auburn. On paper, it's a slight step back from last season's in terms of pass catching targets, but it's still very good.

However, Ole Miss also features one of the best running backs in the country in Kewan Lacy. After starting his career at Missouri, he transferred to the Rebels last offseason, and absolutely exploded. The First-Team All-SEC back ran for an astounding 1,567 yards and 24 touchdowns, which was the third- and second-most in the FBS. Sure, it required an FBS-most 306 rushing attempts to get there, but his 5.12 yards per carry attempt is nothing to sniff at.

If there is a weakness on Ole Miss' offense, it's on the line. While their 1.27 sacks and 4.67 tackles for loss allowed per game ranked 17th and 36th in the FBS, respectively, the advanced stats aren't as sold. The Rebels' 73.7 pass blocking grade on Pro Football Focus ranked 31st in the FBS, while their 54.9 run blocking grade was 96th.

Ole Miss will likely lean on returners Patrick Kutas, Brycen Sanders and Delano Townsend to try and have a bounce-back season on the OL. But given Louisville's prowess on their own defensive line, it could where the defensive gameplan starts if they are to slow down Chambliss, Lacy and Co.

As far as their defense goes, which is led by former UofL DC Bryan Brown, Ole Miss wasn't nearly as efficient, but still had a respectable 2025 campaign. The Rebels allowed the 48th-most yards per game at 348.0, while their 21.1 points allowed per game came in at 37th. For 2026, it's a defense that leaned a lot on the transfer portal, but one that could have a lot of game-wrecking potential.

In terms of disruption at the point of attack, Ole Miss was just okay at this last season. Their 2.20 sacks per game ranked 54th nationally, while their 5.5 tackles for loss per game was 65th. It also doesn't help that star edge rusher Princewill Umanmielan followed Kiffin to LSU.

But the cupboard isn't bare on Ole Miss' defensive line, and it actually has a good amount of high end continuity. Fellow edge rusher Suntarine Perkins, who logged 81 tackles, 12.5 for loss, 4.5 sacks, six pass breakups and three forced fumbles, is returning to Oxford. Kam Franklin (69 tackles, 9.0 for loss, 5.0 sacks) is line for a step forward as a starting edge, while Williams Echoles (68 tackles, 11.5 for loss, 5.0 sacks, 5 PBUs) had a great 2025 season for a defensive tackle.

Behind the line is a fantastic one-two punch at inside linebacker. After totaling 219 tackles in the last two seasons at Baylor, Keaton Thomas is concluding his career at Ole Miss. Beside him is Luke Ferrelli, who earned ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors at Cal last season after a 91 tackle season (and was allegedly tampered with by Ole Miss after originally opting to transfer to Clemson). Add in Georgia Tech transfer Tah'j Butler to the mix, and the linebacking corps for the Rebs is in a very good spot.

Ole Miss' secondary was the strongest aspect of their defense, allowing 198.9 passing yards per game (37th in FBS) and posting a team passing efficiency defense of 119.82 (30th). However, it's a unit with a lot of changeover, as just two of their five regular starters are returning.

Those two are cornerbacks Antonio Kite (34 tackles, 5 PBUs) and Jaylon Braxton (24 tackles, 1 interception, 3 PBUs), and they'll be supplemented by Florida State transfer Edwin Joseph (37 tackles, 3 interceptions, 5 PBUs). Auburn's Jay Crawford (15 tackles, 1 interception, 4 PBUs) and Florida's Sharif Denson (53 tackles, 1 PBU) round out the cornerback room, with Georgia's Joenal Aguero (39 tackles, 1 interception, 3 PBUs) and Mississippi State's Tony Mitchell (25 tackles) in line to take over as the starting safety duo.

Time will tell how this secondary comes together. The cornerback room has a lot of really good players but maybe not an alpha (though you can make a case for Joseph), and the safety spot doesn't a lot of overall production. This is an area that Louisville could exploit when it comes time to play.

Overall, there's a reason why Ole Miss is generating top-10 buzz for 2026. They'll be anchored by one of the best offenses in the nation, and their defense has the talent to keep up in a potential shootout. We'll see what this new look Rebels team looks like now that Golding is the permanent guy and has stamped his own mark on the program (vs. riding with what Kiffin gave him), but Ole Miss will be a massive challenge for Louisville to start the season.

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Ole Miss Rebels

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