Ole Miss Has a Transfer Portal Secret Weapon for 2026

The Ole Miss Rebels were faced with an unavoidable reality this offseason. After Lane Kiffin left for LSU, so did many Ole Miss players, which meant Pete Golding and staff were going to have no choice but to make multiple moves in the transfer portal.

The Rebels did just that, putting together a 29-man portal class that featured the additions of some high-level starters that will look to keep the program's championship window open with quarterback Trinidad Chambliss on the roster.

Some of the highlight transfers include wide receivers Darrell Gill Jr. (Syracuse) and Johntay Cook (Syracuse), offensive lineman Carius Curne (LSU) and safety Edwin Joseph (Florida State) but there's one key name that Ole Miss fans will need to keep a close eye on during the 2026 season.

Ole Miss LB Keaton Thomas Could Be Set for Big Things in 2026

Baylor Bears linebacker Keaton Thomas (11) against the Arizona Wildcats at Casino Del Sol Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Rebels added multiple new faces to the defense out of the transfer portal, and one of the most important players among them is linebacker Keaton Thomas, who arrives in Oxford after two years with the Baylor Bears.

A Jacksonville, FL. native, Thomas started off his collegiate career at Northeast Mississippi CC, only about a 90-minute drive from the Ole Miss campus. In a way, he's making a homecoming of sorts by joining the Rebels, where he will look to continue an impressive rise from community college standout to SEC starter on a championship contender.

This year-by-year growth signals a potential big season ahead for Thomas. He already put together one of the best individual defensive seasons in Baylor history during the 2024 campaign, posting 106 total tackles (62 solo), 2.5 sacks and one interception return for a touchdown. He did all this while playing most of that season with a cast on.

As a result, Thomas earned First Team All-Big 12 defensive honors along with being named an honorable mention for Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year.

Baylor has not been a contender in the Big 12 the last couple of seasons under head coach Dave Aranda, which has meant no notable attention for Thomas under a national spotlight.

But now with more defensive talent around him on an SEC roster, Thomas could be finding himself in near-perfect conditions for his best season yet on an even bigger stage.

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