OXFORD – Ole Miss senior wide receiver Harrison Wallace III knows what it takes to make a run in the College Football Playoff. And he firmly believes Ole Miss has a chance to be one of the last teams standing this coming January.
Wallace, a first-year transfer from Penn State, played his first four seasons with the Nittany Lions, totaling 84 catches for 1,221 yards and six touchdowns. He had a career-best 46 receptions for 720 yards and four touchdowns in 2024; the first two categories led all Penn State wide receivers and trailed only tight end Tyler Warren, a first-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the most recent NFL Draft.
The Nittany Lions won CFP games against SMU and Boise State before falling to Notre Dame in the national semifinal, finishing the season13-3.
Wallace entered the transfer portal in January and committed to Ole Miss in less than a week. Despite having a nearly brand-new cast of characters – including at quarterback and in Wallace’s receiver room – Wallace said without hesitation he believed the 2025 Rebels could “definitely” contend for a national title. Why?
“Just seeing how all the guys come in and work, day in and day out, they buy in and they care,” Wallace said. “And at the end of the day, that’s all you really need.”
Ole Miss averaged just over 38 points per game last season, which was third nationally. Quarterback Jaxson Dart led the nation in total offense and efficiency and was a first-round pick by the New York Giants. Wide receivers Tre Harris, Jordan Watkins and Antwane “Juice” Wells Jr. combined for 137 receptions, 2,489 yards and 22 touchdowns, and the first two were drafted in the second and fourth rounds of the most recent NFL Draft, respectively.
Redshirt sophomore Austin Simmons is taking over at quarterback, and the Rebels return junior wide receiver Cayden Lee and his 57 receptions for 874 yards. Lee is the only returning player on the roster who had more than 27 catches a season ago. In addition to bringing in Wallace, Ole Miss added former Oklahoma State star receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, former West Virginia receiver Traylon Ray, former Wake Forest receiver Deuce Alexander and former Alabama wide receiver/tight end Caleb Odom.
The prospects of playing in an offense that has averaged at least 33.5 points per game in each of head coach Lane Kiffin’s five seasons was hard for Wallace to turn down. Wallace faced Ole Miss in the 2023 Peach Bowl, a game where the Rebels scored 38 points and had 540 yards of total offense in a win.
“It’s a great offense. Just, during that transfer portal recruiting window, just coming in and seeing how they run the offense and just get their receivers the ball in space just so they can do what they do, it’s just an opportunity you couldn’t pass up on.”
Ole Miss has never made the CFP, and Wallace is one of two players on the roster who has been on a playoff team, joining former Clemson cornerback Tavoy Feagin. Feagin did not play in the Tigers’ CFP matchup against Texas.
Wallace believes his experiences on the biggest stage can be beneficial to his new teammates.
“Just fighting through adversity and just giving it your all. Because the team last year, we were so close,” Wallace said. “And so I also bring just that experience part of being there and playing that far into the playoffs. So, just passing that along.”
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