Ole Miss had a good day on Monday. Star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss made it clear that he intends to remain with the program next season, pending his waiver request, and the team landed a string of portal commitments, as well as announcements that current players are staying put. Along those lines, another major win came in the form of standout running back Kewan Lacy reaching a deal to play for the Rebels his junior year.
The news broke late Monday night with ESPN being the first to announce that Lacy will be donning red and powder blue for at least one more season. Lacy, the first-ever Doak Walker Award finalist in Ole Miss history, has logged 1,464 yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground so far while playing an integral role in the team’s success in the College Football Playoff, including last week’s 39-34 Sugar Bowl win over Georgia.
Lacy, a Missouri transfer, was reportedly a priority for ex-Rebel head coach Lane Kiffin to bring to LSU. Kiffin’s hiring of now-former Ole Miss running backs coach Kevin Smith seemed to play a role in an attempt to reel in the talented running back to Baton Rouge. However, newly minted Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding’s hiring of ex-LSU running backs coach Frank Wilson, along with a very healthy Grove Collective, seemingly countered rumored efforts by the Tigers to poach Lacy.
While Lacy and Chambliss are inarguably the biggest splashes of the returning cast, and a major recruiting win for Golding as he game plans for his first season as the team’s frontman, they are not alone in looking to run it back in the upcoming fall.
As things currently stand, the following players have officially announced that they are sticking with the program: Bricen Sanders (center), Antonio Kite (defensive back), Suntarine Perkins (linebacker), Will Echoles (defensive tackle), Lucas Carneiro (kicker), Oscar Bird (punter), Princewill Umanmielen (edge), Jamarious Brown (defensive tackle), Jaylon Braxton (defensive back), and Ladarian Clardy (safety). A source told SuperTalk Mississippi News that more announcements are imminent.
Ole Miss players who have announced plans to seek a new venture, up to this point, are Austin Simmons (quarterback), PJ Wilkins (offensive guard), and Dominique Thomas (running back), though more will inevitably hit the portal in the future.
The transfer portal officially opened on Friday, though tampering had run amok prior, and runs through Jan. 16. In the event that Ole Miss competes in the national championship game, players will have a five-day window between Jan. 20-24 to seek a new collegiate home.
Pete Golding is working the portal
While the timeline for a coach to prepare for a playoff game and add pieces to a future roster through the transfer portal is intertwined for Golding, the Ole Miss coach seems to be heading in the right direction in both avenues. When it comes to acquiring talented players from other schools, the Rebels are picking up where they left off — even without Kiffin.
As of Monday, Ole Miss had landed portal commitments from linebacker Chris Jones (Southern Miss), defensive back Sharif Denson (Florida), linebacker Keaton Thomas (Baylor), edge rusher Jonathan Maldonado (Nevada), defensive tackle Michai Boireau (Florida), defensive back Jay Crawford (Auburn), and defensive tackle Jeheim Oatis (Colorado).
Per a source, the Rebels are currently in the mix to land wide receiver Darrell Gill Jr. (Syracuse), offensive tackle Carius Curne (Arkansas), and quarterback Deuce Knight (Auburn), among other coveted players.
The show goes on
Amid the portal madness will be a College Football Playoff semifinal matchup for Ole Miss. The Rebels will take on Miami in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT with ESPN and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations airing the matchup.