Ole Miss Football Receives Stunning Landing Spot in Way-Too-Early SEC Power Rankings

Pete Golding and Co. receive their early spot in the SEC Power Rankings, rebuit roster earning praise.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

Pete Golding and the Ole Miss Rebels have already been labeled "offseason winners" ahead of the program's inaugural season under new leadership.

Once Lane Kiffin revealed his departure from Oxford, Ole Miss officials immediately elevated Golding from the defensive coordinator to full-time shot-caller with a need for familiarity in the Magnolia State.

"The locker room is so fragile, as we all know," Walker Jones, the executive director of the Grove Collective, said to ESPN. "This is the ultimate team sport, and there's no bigger team sport than football [with] so many personalities, so many moving parts.

"You had to hire the guy that can keep the locker room and the coaching staff in sync. It was such a unique situation, first of its kind. There's no blueprint for it."

Now, after a strong stretch where the program won consecutive College Football Playoff games and assembled the No. 2 rated Transfer Portal Class in America, Ole Miss is receiving significant praise.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

CBS Sports revealed the "Way-Too-Early" SEC Power Rankings with Ole Miss hovering around the middle of the pack.

Ole Miss landed at No. 7 behind the Texas Longhorns, Georgia Bulldogs, Texas A&M Aggies, Oklahoma Sooners, LSU Tigers, and Alabama Crimson Tide.

"We might be too hard on Ole Miss in the post-Kiffin era, but with the uncertainty surrounding QB Trinidad Chambliss' eligibility case and a revamped offensive staff, it's OK to exercise some caution with the Rebels," CBS Sports wrote.

"The biggest news is the return of running back Kewan Lacy. If he had not gotten injured in the Fiesta Bowl, the Rebels might have beaten Miami and played Indiana in the national championship game."

There's significant hype surrounding the Ole Miss program with Golding and Co. looking to carry their momentum from a stellar 2025 season in Oxford.

Now, all eyes are on the 2026 season under new leadership paired with the No. 2 rated Transfer Portal Class in America heading to the Magnolia State for next fall.

More Ole Miss News:

Ole Miss Football Pulls Off Historic Recruiting Feat After Landing No. 2 Portal Class

Ole Miss Football Recruiting Notebook: Three Targets Pete Golding Must Land in Year 1

'Growing Optimism' That Ole Miss Football QB Trinidad Chambliss Will Play in 2026

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