The Biggest Question Ole Miss Still Has to Answer Before Fall Camp Ends

In January, Ole Miss got the ball with less than a minute left on the clock against Georgia in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

The game, a back-and-forth affair highlighted by incredible plays from Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, was tied at 34. Ole Miss had battled back from a halftime defecit to take the lead, but Georgia answered and tied the game with a late field goal. The Rebels could either play it safe and shoot for overtime, or take a shot and try to get down the field for a game-winning field goal.

They chose the latter.

Chambliss found passing target De'Zhaun Stribling behind the defense for a huge gain, and Ole Miss would go on to kick a field goal (and amass a safety, for good measure) to win the game 39-34 and advance to the College Football Playoff Semifinals against Miami.

Now, Stribling is a San Francisco 49er. Harrison Wallace III, another key receiver in the 2025 season, is an Arizona Cardinal. Cayden Lee, a mainstay for the Rebels in recent seasons, hit the transfer portal with quarterback Austin Simmons, and both are now Missouri Tigers.

Who will be Chambliss' primary passing target in 2026? That's a question that still lingers as fall camp slowly moves toward the beginning of the season.

Ole Miss Doesn't Have a Wide Receiver Problem, But It Does Have to Replace Production

The most obvious answer for "top receiver" in 2026 is Deuce Alexander. Alexander filled the role as the Rebels' No. 3 receiver last season, putting up 684 yards on 44 receptions with two scores. His blazing speed is what helps set him apart from others on the field, and he is definitely the top pass catcher returning off of last year's CFP team. Still, he can't do it alone.

Earlier this weekend, Tanner Shapiro of Ole Miss On SI made some similar points. Deuce Alexander already has an established chemistry with Chambliss, and he will certainly be a focal point for this offense, now under the leadership of offensive coordinator John David Baker. But head coach Pete Golding also attacked the transfer portal hard this offseason and brought in some names who will have to step up early and often, if Chambliss hopes to replicate his numbers from a season ago.

Johntay Cook, a Syracuse transfer, is only 5-11, but he has already turned some heads in fall camp and could be a great option out of the slot with his speed. This is actually Cook's third school in four years as he spent two seasons at Texas before jumping to Syracuse and then back to the SEC with Ole Miss. His biggest year of production was definitely in 2025 as he put up 549 yards and two touchdowns with the Orange (Syracuse's shade, not Texas'), and Pete Golding obviously saw enough of him to think that he could compliment this offense.

If you need a short crossing route on third-and-medium, Cook may be your guy, assuming defenses are focused on stopping Alexander on the outside.

Then there's Horatio Fields who comes in with a bigger frame at 6-3, and he is also on his third school after starting his career at Wake Forest before spending last season at Auburn. An injury limited his production to just four games in 2025, but he finally had a breakout year the season before with the Demon Deacons, amassing 463 yards and four touchdowns on a Wake Forest team that, frankly, was not very good, going just 4-8 overall.

If you're looking for a receiver that matches Stribling's build, Fields has it. He's actually listed as an inch taller than Stribling (although not quite as heavy), so placing him on the outside opposite Alexander makes a lot of sense.

There's also Darrell Gill Jr., another Syracuse transfer who has put up back-to-back 500-yard seasons with a combined seven touchdowns. And what about Caleb Cunningham? Remember when the 6-1, 215-pounder signed with the Rebels dramatically over Alabama? Surely his breakout is coming soon, or at least a chance for more playing time.

The point is this: the Rebels don't have a lack of talent at wide receiver. Far from it, actually, but last year's transfer portal grabs all hit green and proved to be a huge part of Ole Miss reaching the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history. Now, as is the case seemingly everywhere in college football, the Rebels have had to reload at the position yet again with hopes of replicating that success. Because without good receivers who can separate from defenders, Trinidad Chambliss' arm isn't going to matter very much, is it?

The jury is still out on whether or not these names (or others) can replace the production that departed, but the pieces in place at least seem capable of doing so, if JDB's offense can keep the current momentum moving.

Fall camp continues as the country awaits Week 0 and then the Rebels' opening game the following Sunday against Louisville. Kickoff on Sept. 6 is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on ABC.

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