In less than 24 hours, Ole Miss will have officially begun their 2026 campaign.
The Rebels will hit the practice field for the first time Thursday morning with lofty goals after last season’s historic success. The outside world is also starting to set some high expectations, too.
Ole Miss was ranked No. 10 in both the USA Today Coaches Poll and the AFCA Coaches Poll. The AP Preseason Top 25 poll is set to be announced August 17 and it’d be surprising if Ole Miss doesn’t find itself in a similar spot.
But if the Rebels want to achieve their goals and live up to the preseason expectations, there are a few position groups needing to show a big improvement. The defensive secondary is at the top of that list.
We’ve already looked at the cornerbacks and today we’ll breakdown every safety on the Ole Miss roster.
Ole Miss Safeties
#6 Joenel Aguero, Sr.
- H/W: 5-foot-11, 200 lbs.
- 2025 Stats (Georgia): Started all 12 games and recorded 39 tackles, including 22 solo stops, 0.5 tackles for loss and one interception.
- How arrived in Oxford: Transferred to Ole Miss after spending three seasons at Georgia from 2023-25.
#7 Sharif Denson, Sr.
- H/W: 5-foot-11, 195 lbs.
- 2025 Stats (Florida): Played in all 12 games with 11 starts, recording 53 tackles, including 39 solo stops, two tackles for loss, one pass breakup and four quarterback hurries.
- How arrived in Oxford: Transferred to Ole Miss after spending three seasons at Florida from 2023-25.
#14 Edwin Joseph, Jr.
- H/W: 6-foot, 195 lbs.
- 2025 Stats (Florida State): Played in all 12 games with 10 starts, recording 37 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, five pass breakups and one forced fumble.
- How arrived in Oxford: Transferred to Ole Miss after spending three seasons at Florida State. He redshirted in 2023 before playing during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
#19 MJ Preston, RS-Fr.
- H/W: 6-foot, 180 lbs.
- 2025 Stats (Ole Miss): Did not record any statistics and redshirted.
- How arrived in Oxford: Signed with Ole Miss out of IMG Academy as part of the Rebels’ 2025 recruiting class and enrolled early.
#20 Anthony Robinson III, So.
- H/W: 6-foot, 200 lbs.
- 2025 Stats (Ole Miss): Played in all 15 games and recorded one assisted tackle.
- How arrived in Oxford: Signed with Ole Miss out of Destrehan High School in Louisiana as part of the Rebels’ 2024 recruiting class.
#24 Andy Jaffe, Jr.
- H/W: 6-foot-1, 195 lbs.
- 2025 Stats (Ole Miss): Played in 15 games and recorded three tackles, including one solo stop.
- How arrived in Oxford: Signed with Ole Miss out of Clearwater Central Catholic High School in Florida as part of the Rebels’ 2024 recruiting class.
#29 Nick Cull, Sr.
- H/W: 5-foot-11, 180 lbs.
- 2025 Stats (Ole Miss): Played in 14 games and recorded 19 tackles, including 15 solo stops, 0.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups and one quarterback hurry.
- How arrived in Oxford: Signed with Ole Miss out of Seminole County High School in Georgia as part of the Rebels’ 2022 recruiting class.
#31 Ladarian Clardy, So.
- H/W: 5-foot-11, 190 lbs.
- 2025 Stats (Ole Miss): Played in 11 games and recorded seven tackles, including two solo stops.
- How arrived in Oxford: Signed with Ole Miss out of Escambia High School in Florida as part of the Rebels’ 2025 recruiting class.
#35 Craig Tutt, Fr.
- H/W: 5-foot-10, 190 lbs.
- 2025 Stats (Oakland High School): Recorded 43 tackles, including 23 solo stops. Also rushed 160 times for 1,168 yards and 22 touchdowns, caught 11 passes for 89 yards and one touchdown and finished with 283 punt-return yards.
#36 Keon Young, RS-Fr.
- H/W: 6-foot, 190 lbs.
- 2025 Stats (Ole Miss): Did not record any statistics and redshirted.
- How arrived in Oxford: Signed with Ole Miss out of Lakeland High School in Florida as part of the Rebels’ 2025 recruiting class and enrolled early.
#37 Cortez Thomas, RS-Fr.
- H/W: 6-foot, 200 lbs.
- 2025 Stats (Ole Miss): Did not record any statistics and redshirted.
- How arrived in Oxford: Signed with Ole Miss out of Holmes County Central High School as part of the Rebels’ 2025 recruiting class.
#39 Gerald Lacy Jr., Jr.
- H/W: 6-foot, 185 lbs.
- 2025 Stats (Trinity Valley Community College): Recorded 34 tackles, two interceptions, four pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
- How arrived in Oxford: Began his college career at Stephen F. Austin in 2023, spent the 2024 season at Missouri and played at Trinity Valley Community College in 2025 before transferring to Ole Miss.
#46 Nascar McCoy, Fr.
- H/W: 6-foot-1, 185 lbs.
- 2025 Stats (Buford High School): Recorded 21 tackles and four tackles for loss during his senior season.
