Ole Miss Stock Up, Stock Down: Which Way Are Four Rebels Trending?

Pete Golding and the Ole Miss Rebels are officially through with the first week of preseason camp.

Ole Miss is just a couple of weeks away from embarking on its highly anticipated 2026 season, beginning its upcoming campaign against Louisville in Nashville, Sept. 6, at Nissan Stadium.

So far this month, the program has permitted limited media viewing availability for two practices and will allow another before revealing more details. It’s still early, and there’s plenty of time for developments to change over the next few weeks, but here’s an initial look at some “stock up” and “stock down” players based on what we’re hearing from inside the Manning Center.

Stock up

Ole Miss tackle Tommy Kinsler IV lines up for an offensive snap at right tackle during a spring camp practice (2026). | Ole Miss Athletics

OT Tommy Kinsler IV

Ole Miss has its starting left tackle settled as Terez Davis sparked momentum for the job back in spring camp. As far as the other side at right tackle, it was — and likely still will be — going through fall camp to get a solidified picture.

At the time of this writing, senior Miami transfer Tommy Kinsler IV is currently in line to be Ole Miss’ Week 1 starting right tackle. The 6-foot-6, 355-pound lineman has started to separate from the rest of the pack, according to sources, although Ole Miss does have other options in Connor Howes, Carius Curne and Enoch Wangoy.

Kinsler has the most playing experience of the remaining options as well, previously appearing in 19 games over three seasons with Miami. In Miami’s run to the National Championship Game last season, Kinsler played in 12 games and sat behind eventual first round NFL draft pick Francis Mauigoa during his time in South Florida.

Kinsler has one more year of eligibility following the 2026 season.

WR Johntay Cook II

Johntay Cook II has consistently been among the standouts this offseason for Ole Miss.

We recently spoke with Cook here and got firsthand insight to his trending rise within the Rebels’ offense, so we won’t spend too much time discussing this one.

That said, Cook is expected to be Trinidad Chambliss’ go-to slot receiver, and finally be the meaningful contributor most thought he could develop into coming out of high school as a top-ranked national recruit.

As a junior in 2025, Cook was among the few bright spots for a struggling Syracuse offense, recording 549 receiving yards (led team) and two touchdowns on 45 receptions (led team).

Honorable mention: OT Connor Howes

At 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds, Connor Howes has the frame and natural abilities to compete immediately at the SEC level. And one day, sometime in the near future, Howes is expected to emerge as a cornerstone for Ole Miss’ offensive line.

At the moment he’s just entering his sophomore season, after appearing in all 15 games for Ole Miss as a true freshman with very limited offensive snaps last season.

Like last offseason, Ole Miss has been pleased with Howes’ steady development under John Garrison early. Offensive coordinator John David Baker brought Howes up this week during his press conference, as one of Ole Miss’ viable options at right tackle. Though Howes is a long shot to start for the Rebels in Week 1, the sophomore’s stock is steadily growing and could still find more offensive snaps early.

Stock down

Sep 27, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; LSU Tigers offensive lineman Carius Curne (57) waits for the snap during the fourth. — Sep 27, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; LSU Tigers offensive lineman Carius Curne (57) waits for the snap during the fourth quarter against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

OT Carrius Curne

Initially, on paper, one of Ole Miss’ biggest transfer portal splashes this offseason came when they signed former LSU offensive tackle Carius Curne.

Not only was Curne a top target for the Rebels during his high school recruitment, where he was a consensus four-star out of the 2025 cycle, but he was also a consensus top-five offensive lineman transfer this offseason. In his true freshman season with the Tigers, Curne played a substantial amount of snaps at both tackle spots through 10 games. Of course, there were growing pains for a true freshman being inserted into the starting lineup within the trenches, but that early experience can be invaluable to a player’s development.

However, by the time spring camp rolled around Curne was “underwhelming” during practices, according to sources at the time. Then to cap the spring semester off Curne disappointed off the field as well, running into legal troubles in his home state of Arkansas. It was a rollercoaster freshman year for Curne, but he is just entering his sophomore year.

Although the initial expectations were lofty and Curne has failed to meet them thus far, there’s still plenty of time for him to turn it around. Curne got almost as much game experience as a true freshman offensive lineman playing in the SEC could ask for, and is only entering his sophomore season.

Right now, it’s not trending in the right direction for the ultra athletic tackle with long term potential, but there’s also nothing to rush at this point of his collegiate career either.

WR Darrell Gill Jr.

Ole Miss didn’t just get one of Syracuse’s leading receivers from a season ago, it secured both of the Orange’s top pass catchers.

Like Cook, Darrell Gill Jr. was among the few shining offensive players in Central New York last year. He tied for the team lead in touchdowns with five, and finished the season with a team-leading 15.8 yards per catch (506 receiving yards) for receivers with at least two catches.

After spending three seasons with Syracuse, Gill elected to hit the transfer portal and was another consensus four-star ranked within the top-27 of the available receivers this past cycle.

However, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound offensive target just hasn’t created much reason to frequently hear his name come up throughout the offseason. That’s not to say that can’t change, or that it even matters at this point, but in a room full of other options it’s not an ideal direction to trend in.

Over the last two seasons Gill has totaled over 1,000 receiving yards and cashed seven scores on 63 receptions. The talent and potential is there, but the chemistry and fit could clog the puzzle piece in what Ole Miss believes to be a deep unit.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google