Five Ole Miss Players Who Could Become Fan Favorites in 2026

There is a special kind of buzz surrounding the Ole Miss football program before its 2026 season gets underway, and it stems from having a team full of players who have the potential to make Vaught-Hemingway Stadium one of the noisiest stadiums in all of the NCAA.

The following list features some of these Playoff-ready players who will steal the hearts of the Rebs’ faithful.

Johntay Cook, WR

Cook makes his way to Oxford through an arduous process that begins with a five-star recruiting experience at Texas and continues on to Washington, where he eventually got into stride at Syracuse with 45 receptions and 549 yards.

Cook's ball skills and ability to shake off defenders are well-suited for the kind of offense that John David Baker coaches, and his speed adds an element in the air for the Rebels, alongside Deuce Alexander. Those who are looking for a receiver with a storybook career ahead of him will not have to look far past Cook.

Luke Hasz, TE

Hasz enrolled in college as a blue-chip freshman with Arkansas but showed promise before he was hampered by an ankle injury. Back to full health and now a solidified TE1 for Ole Miss, Hasz plays like an oversized wide receiver with 35 catches for 597 yards and nine touchdowns as a high school senior before carrying this production into college.

His size makes him a difficult matchup in the red zone, and a system that is prone to spreading tight ends out in route schemes will make Hasz a favorite red-zone target for Chambliss.

Darrell Gill Jr., WR

Cook and Gill J — Syracuse wide receiver Darrell Gill Jr. (15) and Syracuse wide receiver Johntay Cook (2) celebrate a touchdown by Cook during the Aflac Kickoff Game between the Volunteers and Syracuse held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., on August 30, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Coming to Ole Miss from Syracuse after a season where he had more than 500 yards and five touchdowns, Gill is coming into a receiver room needing a dependable receiver to go along with him. At 6-foot-3, he offers physical size at wideout for the Rebels, while his route-running skills should play well with the team’s new passing game.

Overall, Gill looks like the kind of receiver who will build up a body of work little by little before everyone realizes just how important he is to the team’s offense.

Will Echoles, DT

Echoles was at the top of every Power Four team in QB hurries in 2025 with 39, which included five sacks from the middle of the defensive line. Middle pass rushers are often not talked about like edge rushers or skill players, but Echoles is a defender who appears on nearly every significant play because of his non-stop engine and ability to collapse the pocket from the middle.

Echoles is already on the radar for the NFL as the 2026 draft nears, and Rebels fans will see a player who dictates whole game plans against Ole Miss.

Keaton Thomas, LB

Thomas comes to Ole Miss from Baylor with 99 tackles and All-Big 12 honors, and Ole Miss' defensive coordinator Bryan Brown has not failed to note his relentless work ethic in practice. His experience as a defensive back at Baylor provides him with coverage skills that take other linebackers years to learn, and he can cover sideline-to-sideline while also handling SEC running games.

Alongside new addition Luke Ferrelli in the middle linebacker position of a revamped linebacker unit, Thomas has both the physical ability and statistics to become the vocal captain of Ole Miss' defense.

While the Rebels look to make it back to the CFP and have a push in the SEC, these five players can quickly become Oxford favorites on each end of the ball. Cook, Hasz, Gill, Echoles, and Thomas each come with a different star recipe, and Rebel fans following the squad closely throughout this fall will not be disappointed.

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