Two Ole Miss Rebels players named by ESPN as two of the biggest transfer surprises in the first month of the 2025 season
One of the selections may or may not surprise you.
ESPN’s Max Olson has put together an All-Transfer Portal team through Week 5. As you all know, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin is the Portal King. So it’s not at all surprising the Rebels have two players on the team. But, one of them is quite surprising after an off-season lead up to the 2025 campaign.
“None of these players made our offseason rankings of the top 100 transfers for 2025, but they’ve been impressive and productive through non-conference play,” Olson said. “Some brought serious experience to their new programs while others are finally getting a shot to start. This team includes hidden gems from the Group of 5, FCS and even Division II as well as Power 4 players.”
Let’s take a look at who Olson likes from September and how the Rebels have performed thus far.
Ole Miss Rebels News
‘I just knew the love and authenticity from Ole Miss was real’ – Lane Kiffin strikes gold in the transfer portal again
Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy leads the Southeastern Conference in rushing through two weeks. Last week, he ran for 138 yards and a touchdown to lead the Rebels to a road conference win over Kentucky. He has 246 total and four touchdowns already. Lacy was wanted badly by Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin […]
Kewan Lacy, RB – Missouri > Ole Miss
“After playing sparingly during his freshman season at Mizzou, Lacy is emerging as one of college football’s best young running backs. He ranks third among SEC backs with 405 yards from scrimmage through four games and has a conference-leading seven rushing TDs. The sophomore opened the season with back-to-back 100-yard performances and has shown an impressive blend of toughness and track speed. He’s a 210-pound back who has already hit a max speed of 21.6 mph this season, fastest among all SEC backs, according to data powered by Teamworks.”
Lacy has been a godsend for an Ole Miss running game after struggling mightily in 2024. Former LSU running back Logan Diggs is in the backfield with him but has gotten off to a relatively slow start coming off the ACL tear during his time with the Tigers.
Kiffin and Co., now have a legitimate burner with size to anchor the run game. The Ole Miss head man loves to dictate pace and tempo with the run game and if Lacy can keep this pace up, the Rebels’ offense will be dangerous down the stretch.
Trinidad Chambliss, All-Purpose – Ferris State > Ole Miss
“We had to find a spot for Chambliss on this squad after the Division II transfer’s incredible rise to QB1 in Oxford. After leading Ferris State to a Division II national title last season, Chambliss bet on himself by entering the portal in April and chose a spot with the Rebels rather than chase a starting job at the Group of 5 level. The 6-foot, 200-pound senior has been extremely impressive in relief of injured starter Austin Simmons with 719 passing yards, 195 rushing yards, six total TDs and no turnovers while leading wins over Arkansas and Tulane. Chambliss is averaging 9.33 total yards per play in Lane Kiffin’s offense and ranks seventh in QBR (88.5).”
Once Simmons went down. with an ankle injury at Kentucky, Chambliss came in and ran the football three times for 13 yards to ice the game and secure a road SEC victory. Since then, he has been elite. Over 800 total yards and six total touchdowns for a guy who was playing for a Division II team last season is pretty damn good. But is this really a surprise? Kiffin is so good about getting every ounce of ability out of his offensive playmakers so naturally Chambliss is no exception.
I like his chances to not only continue this meteoric rise but to grab hold of the QB1 spot while Simmons recovers. And it’s not out of the realm of possibility he keeps the spot even when Simmons is 100 percent. Chambliss’ dual-threat ability – in my opinion – gives Ole Miss the best version of itself offensively.
