Not many people envisioned Ole Miss going a deep run in the College Football Playoff this season.
Last season? Yes. That Ole Miss team had two first round NFL draft picks, won 10 games and was one win away from a spot in the inaugural 12-team playoff.
This season with some of the best players gone to the NFL and a quarterback entering the season as a starter for the first time, the expectations weren’t a national championship.
Except for members of the current Ole Miss team, like defensive tackle Will Echoles.
“I’ve envisioned this ever since spring ball, not just fall camp. Championships are won in the offseason,” Echoles said at a Fiesta Bowl media availability in Arizona. “In the spring, I saw a team that didn’t flinch. No matter what we were doing, conditioning, practice, nobody complained. Everybody attacked the work the same way. That told me everything I needed to know.
“All you heard was that this team wouldn’t be better than the 2024 team. But this team doesn’t flinch. We’ve been through a lot of adversity together. Last year, our defense was very productive, and I truly believe if we had made the College Football Playoff, we would have won it.”
It took the rest of the college football world a lot longer to realize these Rebels can win a national championship. But that’s fine for them because it just creates an even bigger chip to put on their shoulders.
“That’s been our vibe all year, especially on defense. All we hear about is other people’s defenses. People don’t believe we can stop anybody,” Echoles said. “So, we’ve created a bigger chip on our shoulders to go out and show what we’re capable of. Miami’s defense, Miami’s offense, all that talk, they’ve got to line up and play us just like we’ve got to play them.”
Echoles a trend-setter
Last week before the Rebels’ CFP quarterfinal game against Georgia, four Ole Miss players made announcements they would be returning to Ole Miss in 2026. Echoles was one of those four. Since then, players like Kewan Lacy, Duece Alexander, Luke Hasz, Caleb Odom, Devin Harper, Jamarious Brown, Princewill Umanmielen, Oscar Bird, Lucas Carneiro, LD Clardy, Jaylon Braxton and Trinidad Chambliss (pending his waiver request) have all been announced as returning players in 2026.
“I was really happy,” Echoles said about teammates returning with him next season. “Trinidad signed first, so I gave him a big hug when I saw him. Then when Kewan signed, I did the same. I’m just excited we get to run it back next year. It’s another example of the impact Ole Miss has on people.”
The Rebels hope to keep making a positive impact, not just next season but on Thursday night against Miami in the CFP semifinal/Fiesta Bowl game.
