Morgan Freeman is stepping into a new role this weekend.
ESPN’s College GameDay named the Oscar-winning actor as its celebrity guest picker for Week 3.
The show is heading to Oxford for a matchup that’s been drawing plenty of buzz all season.
🚨 Morgan Freeman is the College Gameday Celebrity Guest Picker 🚨#HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/8Ba9Kpc5bf
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 17, 2026
LSU comes to town to face the Rebels in one of the SEC’s bigger early tests.
Freeman didn’t grow up far from the Mississippi Delta. Pat McAfee shared the pick on his show Thursday and noted Freeman roots hard for the Rebels these days.
Freeman was actually born across the state line in Memphis. His family roots run deep in the Delta though, especially around Clarksdale.
He’s spent years building ties there, including co-founding a well-known blues club in that same river town.
Most fans still know him best for his acting career though. Freeman’s picked up five Golden Globe nominations and won Best Actor for “Driving Miss Daisy.”
His Oscar résumé runs just as deep.
He earned Best Supporting Actor nods for “Street Smart” and “Million Dollar Baby” and took home the win for the latter.
He also picked up Best Actor nominations for “Driving Miss Daisy,” “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Invictus.”
Kiffin’s return adds another layer
Freeman won’t be the only headline in Oxford this week. Lane Kiffin makes his return to the building as LSU’s head coach after leaving the Ole Miss program before last season’s playoff run.
Pete Golding took over from there and led the Rebs to a 2-1 mark in the College Football Playoff.
LSU linebacker Whit Weeks brought up Kiffin’s track record with these kinds of homecomings. He pointed to Kiffin’s 2021 return to Tennessee, when fans tossed a golf ball and a mustard bottle onto the field.
Weeks doesn’t think Kiffin will be caught off guard by whatever Oxford throws his way.
“He’s more prepared than anybody,” Weeks said Tuesday.
Kiffin turns the pressure talk around
Kiffin sees the matchup a little differently than most outsiders. He said the bigger burden actually sits with Ole Miss this week given how last season ended.
He also brought up the firepower the Rebels bring back.
Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy give Ole Miss a proven one-two punch in the backfield. Kiffin noted LSU won seven games a year ago compared with the Rebels’ 13 wins.
He added that LSU returns two Heisman Trophy candidates in that same backfield, something that rarely happens for one team in a single season. Kiffin said that combination puts the weight squarely on Ole Miss heading into Saturday.
GameDay’s stop in Oxford should draw a packed campus either way. Freeman’s guest picks will just be one more storyline layered onto an already important SEC opener between the Rebels and Tigers.
