The Ole Miss Offense Needs Someone Besides Its Stars to Emerge

Say goodbye to the bye week, the Ole Miss Rebels are headed back to Nashville for the second time this campaign.

Playing an SEC schedule is a blessing and a curse. One on end, heading to Vanderbilt looks to be a respite before a back-to-back with No. 14 Missouri (who just stomped Florida 45-17) and No. 1 Texas in Austin. On the other, this unranked Vanderbilt team is still a threat, coming off of its greatest season in school history last year.

Trinidad Chambliss has started out 2026 about as well as anyone could have hoped, and Deuce Alexander has propelled himself into NFL first rounder discussions. While Kewan Lacy should be back to full strength soon, the Rebels are still looking for some of their offense depth to make the next step.

Rebels Star Candidates

There is no lack of depth when it comes to Ole Miss offensive firepower. The receiver room reads beautifully on paper and Lacy's deputies at running back all either have high-level collegiate experience or came to Oxford as top-ranked high school recruits.

If that's the case, why is Alexander forced to pick up all the slack of the players around him? Of course, Traylon Ray and Horatio Fields have been trending upwards, along with Caleb Odom who has established himself as the main receiving tight end, relegating Luke Hasz to more of a sixth offensive lineman role.

Ray burst onto the scene for the Rebels against LSU, headlining an incredible offensive effort at the Vaught Sept. 26th. Going for 115 yards and a touchdown facing a solid Tigers' secondary, Ray rose to the occasion in what was the most highly anticipated game of the year, if not of the decade.

Odom has been a breath of fresh air after the exit of Dae'Quan Wright to eligibility and the continuing lack of production from Luke Hasz. Odom is a fan's tight end in my eyes, as blocking is nowhere near as flashy as blazing go-routes that make him appear more like a towering wide receiver as he gallops downfield. Second in yards and third in receptions, Odom does not feel right to be deemed as the next breakout guy, as he really is already there.

Fields is truly a question mark in the Rebel ranks. Coming off a five-reception, 50-yard day against LSU, Fields did not show up when needed in Gainesville. With just one reception on a day when Chambliss needed another target to step up, Fields has not displayed enough consistency relative to the chances he has been given.

A Star For the Present and Future

Let the kid play. Caleb Cunningham has all the intangibles to become the guy for the Rebels as soon as this Saturday against the Commodores. It only gets better when you realize Cunningham is just a redshirt freshman.

The Mississippi born and raised receiver came to the Rebels the top ranked player at his position in the state and one of the highest touted receiving prospects in the nation. Featuring just three times in his debut campaign, Cunningham still showed enough to be listed on the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year watchlist for his redshirt season.

While Cunningham has just 93 yards through four games, the young receiver will likely be overlooked by opposing defensive coordinators, making him even more likely to fly under the radar and break out in Nashville.

Cunningham has all it takes to be a star in Oxford, and the sooner he gets off the mark, the future gets only brighter for the Ole Miss Rebels.

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