Pete Golding had a magical first month as Ole Miss Rebels head coach, leading the team to the College Football Playoff and getting inches away from making it to the national title game this coming Monday.
But that was then, and if he wants Mississippi to return to the CFP this time next year, he will need a quarterback who can help them get there.
Golding thought that he pulled off the greatest gambit of the 15-day transfer window when star QB Trinidad Chambliss announced he would not be following former head coach to LSU and would be staying with the Rebels.
Although a big win, the celebration hinged on the NCAA, which needed to grant the former Division II QB an extra year of eligibility to continue playing college ball. Although Chambliss appeared confident in public television appearances that he would be back with Golding and Ole Miss, his appeal for an extension was denied, leaving the Rebels without a signal caller.
The staff went to work and brought in former five-star recruit Deuce Knight as the possible next face of the program, and on Wednesday, they added another familiar name to the depth chart for 2026.
More news: Ole Miss Poaches 5-Star Player from Lane Kiffin, LSU in Transfer Portal Heist
More news: Lane Kiffin, LSU Land 5-Star Freshman QB in Major Transfer Portal Move
Louisiana Ragin’ Cajun quarterback Walker Howard has signed with Ole Miss.
If that sounds familiar to Rebels or SEC fans, it should, as Howard was already a Rebel for two seasons before transferring to Louisiana in 2025.
A four-star recruit out of the Cajun state, Howard first went to the LSU Tigers before transferring to Ole Miss, before ultimately returning to the school he’s spent the most time with for their 2026 season in an undecided QB room.
Howard tore his oblique in his first game as a Louisiana starter, and though he returned in the second half of the season, his time was already over with the Rajin’ Cajuns. They had moved on, and the veteran returned to the transfer portal to see where he would land next.
While Howard isn’t expected to be Ole Miss’s next starting QB, he will add competition to a growing room that has more questions than answers following Chambliss’ extension rejection.
The transfer portal officially closes on Jan. 16, 2026.
Read the full article here
