A decade ago, seeing multiple former teammates on the opposing sideline would have been unheard of.
Today, it’s just another week in college football.
When No. 9 Ole Miss hosts No. 13 Missouri, Rebels players and coaches will see several familiar faces across the field, including former teammates Austin Simmons, Chris Graves and Cayden Lee. Thanks to the transfer portal, what once would have been a rare reunion has become part of the sport’s new reality.
“Especially with the transfer portal,” Ole Miss defensive back Antonio Kite said. “It’s very common.”
That doesn’t make the game any less personal.
Kite said he has remained in contact with several of the former Rebels and is looking forward to seeing them in person again.
“It’s going to be fun to see them in person again rather than just being on the game or talking on the phone and stuff,” Kite said. “It’s going to be fun.”
For current Ole Miss players, the matchup presents an unusual dynamic. The friendships remain intact, but for three hours on Saturday, they’ll be opponents.
“It’s going to be a lot of trash talking, me and Chris Graves,” Kite said with a smile. “I’m going to try to talk.”
Wide receiver Deuce Alexander echoed those sentiments, describing the opportunity to compete against former teammates as one of the more unique aspects of modern college football.
“It’s going to be great, man,” Alexander said. “It’s going to be fun competing against those guys, guys I was around every day. Just being able to see them on the field doing their thing, even if it’s at a different school, it’s just a great feeling to be on the field with them.”
The relationships extend beyond the locker room.
Head coach Pete Golding said he still keeps a strong appreciation for Simmons and Lee and understands why both players ultimately chose to leave Oxford.
“Both those boys know I love them,” Golding said. “They were unbelievable throughout the process.”
Golding pointed to uncertainty surrounding eligibility issues and roster situations as major factors in the decisions.
In Simmons’ case, Golding noted the reality of playing quarterback, where only one player can start.
“You play quarterback. We play one of them,” Golding said. “Here’s an appeal process going on. He couldn’t take that risk.”
Golding said Lee faced similar concerns as he weighed whether to wait through spring practice for more clarity regarding his future.
“Loved his time at Ole Miss,” Golding said. “I had a lot of different meetings with him. Wasn’t comfortable yet knowing whether the appeal was going to go through or not.”
While Ole Miss would have preferred to keep both players, Golding said there was no bitterness when they entered the portal.
“He was very professional about it,” Golding said of Lee. “Really good meetings, and I think he’d probably say the same thing.”
That may be the biggest difference in today’s transfer era.
Once viewed as breakups, many departures now resemble career decisions. Players chase opportunity. Coaches understand the reasoning. Relationships survive.
The result is a Saturday like the one awaiting Ole Miss and Missouri: former teammates greeting each other before kickoff, exchanging a few laughs and maybe a little trash talk.
Then, once the ball is snapped, old friendships take a back seat to winning football games.
As Golding put it, the affection remains.
But so does the competitive spirit.
“I’m excited to compete against him,” he said.
