2 Ole Miss Football Players Arrested in Oxford

The Ole Miss Rebels football program is making headlines for the wrong reasons as the offseason continues.

Per reports from the Clarion Ledger, two Ole Miss football players were arrested in Oxford on Sunday, as quarterback Rees Wise and running back Damarius Yates were both booked into a Lafayette County Jail. Both players were arrested and charged with DUI and reckless driving while Yates was also charged with speeding.

Both players are incoming true freshmen as members of the Ole Miss 2026 recruiting class.

What This Means for Ole Miss' Offseason

Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding runs off the field during warmups before the CFP Fiesta Bowl at the State Farm Stadium, in Glendale, Ariz., on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. | Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The news of the two arrests brings a notable level of concern to the football program, especially since the charges involved DUI. Instead of focusing on the year ahead, Ole Miss now has to deal with negative headlines for a period of time during the offseason.

While both players are not entering the fall expected to have major roles on the depth chart, this latest news could potentially impact their chances of holding a roster spot altogether, though it's important to note that nothing is official in that regard. It will be up to Pete Golding and the coaching staff to decide how this is all handled and if the two players will be dismissed from the program.

Regardless, an official decision by the team one way or another means that the arrest will be creating more headlines this offseason.

Yates, a four-star recruit, is a product of Kemper County High School in De Kalb, MS. He received offers from programs like Ohio State, Alabama, Florida State, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Tennessee and more but chose Ole Miss.

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Pete Golding against the Miami Hurricanes during the 2026 Fiesta Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

As for Wise, he was a three-star recruit out of Westlake High School in Austin, TX. He also got multiple high-level offers from teams like Texas Tech, Nebraska, SMU and Arizona but signed with the Rebels instead.

The Rebels will need to go through the rest of the offseason without any more off-the-field issues. Other SEC teams like Georgia tend to make too many headlines in that regard, and it would be in Ole Miss' best interest to buck a trend before it's too late.

Fortunately, the Rebels are in strong hands under Golding's leadership moving forward. Expect these two recent arrests to be the only negative blip in what has otherwise been an exciting offseason for Ole Miss.

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