Ole Miss fans can breathe a small sigh of relief with the hope that there won’t be a major exodus of players after the season.
Four Rebels were officially announced as returning to Ole Miss for the 2026 season on the team’s social media accounts.
Defensive tackle Will Echoles, cornerback Antonio Kite, linebacker Suntarine Perkins and offensive lineman Brycen Sanders will all be back in Oxford next season.
Antonio Kite is staying HOME in 2026.#HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/FHOjbaYkue
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) December 18, 2025
That’s four major contributors to this year’s team that’ll be back and is a big win for new coach Pete Golding. It’s not some of the bigger names fans would like to see announce returns (that’d be Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy), but it’s a good starting point for next season.
It’s difficult to single out any of the four returnees as more important than the others. Sanders has started all 12 games this season on the offensive line.
Perkins is second on the team in tackles with 64 total tackles. He also has 6.5 tackles for a loss, two sacks, an interception, five pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Suntarine Perkins is staying HOME in 2026.@suntarine x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/560i0gXGoJ
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) December 18, 2025
Echoles has enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2025, recording 51 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks and three pass breakups.
Kite has missed three games this season dealing with an injury, but has 25 tackles and four pass break ups in nine games. On Wednesday, Golding said that Kite should be back on the field for Saturday’s playoff game against Tulane.
“”We’re probably as healthy as we’ve been up to this point,” Golding said. “We’ve been a little banged up in the back end, especially at corner, which we’re expecting (Antonio Kite) to be available for this game. He wasn’t the last couple of games, which is a big piece for us. Then we’ll have all our pieces on offense as well. So, everybody that we’ve counted on up to this point will be available.”
More to come?
The easy answer is, yes, there will be more announcements. It’s just some of those announcements will be players leaving Ole Miss.
It’s as inevitable as death and taxes that players leave for the transfer portal. The hope for Ole Miss fans is that the key contributors don’t leave.
The biggest name on that list is Lacy, the SEC leader in rushing touchdowns this season. He’s a sophomore and is guaranteed to play another year in college.
Chambliss is another name everyone is watching for, but we’ll hear if his waiver for another year of eligibility is granted before learning what he’s going to do.
But I do believe Thursday’s announcements are a good sign that any fears of a mass exodus of players entering the transfer portal won’t come to fruition.
Of course…I’ve been wrong before.
