It hasn’t necessarily been how everyone expected it to look, but the 2025 edition of Ole Miss has captivated the college football world through the first half of the season.
The No. 4 Rebels (5-0, 3-0 SEC) have their highest ranking in 10 seasons, having jumped up nine spots in the latest AP poll after a 24-19 win over then-No. 4 LSU. Despite having just two returning starters on each side of the ball, Ole Miss is averaging just under 41 points per game and is surrendering less than 19.
Ole Miss has its first bye this week before resuming play against Washington State on Oct. 11. Here is a report card for the Rebels’ offense through the first five games.
Quarterback
While 2025 was supposed to be the Year of Austin Simmons – and it still could end up being that – the story of Ole Miss’ season thus far has been the play of senior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. Simmons, the highly touted redshirt sophomore who impressed in spot duty last season, started the first two games but suffered an ankle injury toward the end of the game against Kentucky. Chambliss, who led Division II Ferris State to the national championship in 2024, has started the last three games and has been one of the great stories in college football. The Michigan native has 1,219 total yards and six combined touchdowns over his three starts. His latest masterpiece came against an elite LSU defense; he threw for 314 yards and a touchdown and ran for another 71 yards.
Chambliss currently has the No. 22 passing efficiency rating in the nation and is third in yards per completion and sixth in yards per attempt. He has completed 11 of 15 throws over 20 yards, according to Pro Football Focus, and has been a force in the run game on both designed attempts and scrambles. He is the first SEC quarterback since 1994 to have three straight games with at least 300 yards passing and 50 yards rushing.
While head coach Lane Kiffin has not said who the quarterback will be after the bye, he said his current situation with Simmons and Chambliss is “a really good problem to have.”
Grade: A
Running backs
Ole Miss’ inability to run the ball in crucial situations last season has been well-chronicled. A revamped running back room headlined by sophomore Missouri transfer Kewan Lacy has helped remedy that thus far in 2025. Lacy is second in the SEC with 445 rushing yards, with 304 of those coming after contact, per PFF. He has forced 33 missed tackles and has picked up 33 first downs. Lacy ran for 37 yards in the fourth quarter against LSU and helped close out the Rebels’ tight win. Former LSU running back Logan Diggs has run for 125 yards and three scores behind Lacy. The Rebels average 208 rushing yards per game, and the combination of Lacy and Chambliss’ quarterback runs have revitalized Ole Miss’ ground game.
Grade: A
Wide receivers/tight ends
Coming into the season, Kiffin lauded the depth of the Rebels’ new-look wide receiver room. And, through five games, everything he alluded to has come to fruition. Four different receivers have at least 220 receiving yards, with senior Penn State transfer Harrison Wallace III’s 361 yards leading the way. Sophomore Wake Forest transfer Deuce Alexander has come on in a big way in recent weeks, having racked up 228 yards over the last three games. Junior Cayden Lee, who had nearly 900 yards last season, seems to have found his stride over the last three games with at least 60 yards in each. Senior tight end Dae’Quan Wright averages a whopping 23.3 yards per reception.
A few key portal additions – junior wide receiver Traylon Ray and junior tight end Luke Hasz – have yet to make significant contributions due to injury. Senior wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, an Oklahoma State transfer, has 11 catches for 146 yards.
Grade: A-
Offensive line
The Rebels got off to a shaky start up front – not an unexpected result given the preseason injuries to several key pieces – but the last few games have seen a turn for the better. Ole Miss is averaging 501 yards of offense per game over the last three games and has surrendered just one total sack in that time, per PFF. Their four sacks allowed through five games is tied for third-fewest in the SEC. Junior Arkansas transfer Patrick Kutas was one of the Rebels’ biggest acquisitions in the transfer portal and has played his best of late, earning SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week after the win over LSU.
Grade: A-/B+
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