Ole Miss Rebels Boast Three Top-50 Players in College Football

For a program that lost its head coach just before the start of its College Football Playoff, the Ole Miss Rebels don’t look to have suffered any setback from the late-season drama.

Instead, they’ve looked like a well-oiled machine ready to keep pace with the success that it’s experienced in recent years. Even as new head coach Pete Golding enters his first full season in charge, the Rebels look to have one of the SEC’s better rosters, which includes three players from Pro Football Focus’s “50 best players in college football” list.

No. 10 - Kewan Lacy, Running Back

“Lacy led all Power Four running backs in rushing touchdowns (24),” PFF writes. “He also ranked second in rushing yards (1,564), yards after contact (1,010) and forced missed tackles (89). His 91.6 PFF rushing grade ranked sixth among FBS running backs.”

The flashy, high-octane offense that Lane Kiffin brought to Oxford is expected to change toward a more physically imposing approach by new offensive coordinator John David Baker. He’s admitted as much back in the spring, saying that while he may have an Air Raid background, the run game will be important to the Rebels’ success.

Which certainly makes way too much sense given the return of the reigning Doak Walker Award winner. Lacy not only gives Ole Miss one of the best returning running backs in college football, but another weapon who can deploy out of the backfield and help out in pass protection as an added blocker for Chambliss.

With Chambliss lining up next to him in the backfield, Ole Miss’s offense will have its two most dangerous weapons just a few feet apart at all times.

No. 12 - Trinidad Chambliss, Quarterback

“Chambliss took the reins of the Rebels’ offense when the original starter, Austin Simmons, went down with an injury in Week 2,” PFF writes. “The Division II national champion never looked back, ranking second in the Power Four with 3,934 passing yards and fourth in the FBS with 29 big-time throws. He added 585 rushing yards, ranking 15th in the Power Four.”

What a story it has been for Chambliss. As PFF notes, he won a national championship at Ferris State before transferring to Ole Miss, where he was expected to back up Simmons before an injury thrust him into action. And while Simmons held him off leading up to the season, once Chambliss saw the field, he never went back to the bench. thrust

At No. 12 overall, he finds himself as the fourth-best quarterback entering the season behind only Julian Sayin, Dante Moore, and Arch Manning. Although he’ll have a new voice in his ear calling plays, the Rebels' offense is expected to continue rolling.

No. 19 - Will Echoles, Defensive Lineman

“Echoles led the Power Four in both pressures (39) and defensive stops (35),” PFF writes. “His six batted passes were also second in the nation. Only A.J. Holmes Jr. was more valuable among Power Four defensive tackles according to PFF’s WAA metric.”

If he wasn’t already, Echoles himself became a national name with a strong performance during Ole Miss’s College Football Playoff run. Playing in all three games, Echoles totaled 17 tackles, 3.5 for a loss, and a half sack.

Per Pro Football Focus, he finished last season with 32 quarterback hurries. However, six of those came during Ole Miss’s playoff run.

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