Which Young Ole Miss Football Players Are Earning Bigger Roles Than Anticipated?

Excitement is building for the Ole Miss Rebels this season. Fall camp is wrapping up, and preparation is underway for the opening game against Louisville.

Ole Miss was fortunate to return some of its top contributors on both sides of the ball. Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy are expected to spearhead the offense while Will Echoles and Suntarine Perkins handle leadership roles on defense.

While there are plenty of veterans on Pete Golding's team, there are a few younger players to be excited about.

Caleb Cunningham

Caleb Cunningham has an opportunity to seize a role in the wide receiver room. There is a lot of turnover at that position. Cunningham is healthy, and Golding is excited to have him.

"Caleb Cunningham is finally healthy again. I think he gives us a different presence than we've had out there," Golding said. "He's who we expected him to be when he got here over a year ago. It has been really nice to get him back out there healthy. He's just a different body type."

The former five-star has the intangibles to be a talented wideout. If he can stay healthy, he should have a much larger role in this offense.

Dorian Barney

Dorian Barney's stock is slowly rising throughout spring and fall camp. The freshman corner will be a key piece in the secondary. Golding likes to rotate players on defense, which means Barney will get a shot.

It wouldn't be surprising if Barney is getting significant playing time early on. He'll be competing with guys like Antonio Kite, Sharif Denson, and Cedrick Beavers. All of these guys have more experience, but Barney is another young player with lots of star potential.

Landon Barnes

Another highly touted freshman, Landon Barnes, could work his way into the defensive line rotation. Defensive coordinator Bryan Brown showered Barnes with praise.

"Landon Barnes is going to be a household name," Brown said during spring ball. "You can write that down. He's a heck of a football player and he's going to play for us this year for sure."

Barnes will have stiff competition for playing time. Kam Franklin and Jonathan Maldonado are a pair of impactful defensive ends. As mentioned earlier, Golding likes to rotate players with fresh legs, and Barnes has the pedigree to quickly make some noise this season. He just needs the opportunity and it sounds like he'll get it.

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