Ole Miss’ High-Profile NIL Additions Who Could Use Strong Camp Outings

SEC Media Days kicks off talking season this week, meaning fall camp is just around the corner for the 2026 Ole Miss Rebels.

The Rebels will report to camp in less than two weeks and will go all the way until game week arrives. Ole Miss opens its first full season under head coach Pete Golding on Sunday, September 6, against Louisville at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.

Ole Miss will be implementing over 50 new players, including 30 new transfers with most being paid to make an immediate impact for the Rebels in 2026.

Ahead of the media frenzy in Tampa, we take a look at some of Ole Miss’ high-profile transfers that could use strong camp outings during August.

OT Carius Curne

One of the biggest splashes Ole Miss made through its pursuit of the transfer portal was signing former LSU starting tackle Carius Curne. The 6-foot-5, 330-pound lineman started five games, and appeared in eight games total, as a true freshman for the Tigers during the 2025 season.

Curne was a consensus top-five offensive tackle and top-50 overall player this past portal cycle. Though Curne has just one year under his belt, the expectations when he arrived on campus would be that one of the two open tackle jobs would be his for the taking. Of course he would have to earn it at a position where the Rebels signed three transfer tackles.

Ultimately, Curne was a bit ‘underwhelming’ with the first team offense during the spring, and then had legal troubles off the field that led to an arrest on his way back home to Arkansas in April.

However, despite a bit of a chaotic first couple of months to begin his Ole Miss tenure, Curne could still develop into a critical piece for the Rebels in 2026. At left tackle, it appears that Terez Davis is the favorite to start, leaving more questions and options at right tackle. It would be surprising to not see Curne in the starting lineup — On3 has his NIL valuation at $750,000 — but he will have the opportunity to earn it through camp.

S Edwin Joseph

Another player Ole Miss acquired via the portal to make an immediate impact was junior Florida State transfer Edwin Joseph. Like Curne, Joseph was also a consensus top-100 overall transfer and a top-10 available safety. However, Ole Miss signed Joseph knowing that he would not be available to participate in spring practice due to an undisclosed injury.

The Rebels are replacing each of their three starting safeties from a year ago, with Wydett Williams leaving the biggest hole for the unit. Last fall, Joseph was a similar playmaker to what Williams was for the Rebels defense, as he collected three interceptions, one forced fumble, 1.5 sacks and five pass breakups in 10 games played.

Joseph will get his first taste of first-team reps within Pete Golding’s defensive scheme at some point in August. It’s not clear what the full-participation timetable is for Joseph, but Golding reiterated during the spring that none of the team’s injuries at the time were expected to be extended ones.

Should Joseph be able to have a couple of weeks of practice under his belt, it could put him in the exact groove he needs to be that immediate impact playmaker within the secondary. Ole Miss is going to need a do-it-all safety again this fall and a healthy Joseph could certainly develop into that role.

WR Darrell Gill Jr.

Among all of the position groups Ole Miss had to remodel this offseason, the one that may come with the most questions entering the season revolves around its wide receiver corps. The new-look group will be moving along without five of the team’s six leading receivers from last year’s 13-win squad.

Deuce Alexander is expected to be the leader of the group, but Ole Miss brought in five transfer receivers to help strengthen Trinidad Chambliss’ offensive weaponry. The highest-profile receiver the Rebels brought in was senior Darrell Gill Jr., who is coming off a season in which he led Syracuse in receiving yards. Gill eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards and scored seven touchdowns in his last two seasons with the Orange.

Though he may have been the biggest acquisition the Rebels made at the position, on paper, we didn’t hear much buzz about Gill Jr. during spring camp. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound pass catcher is expected to start for the Rebels in 2026, but he’ll have the opportunity to solidify himself as a reliable target and true connection for Chambliss during fall camp.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google