One Door Opens, Another Closes for Ole Miss on a Busy Thursday

Ole Miss picked up a massive victory late Thursday afternoon when Trinidad Chambliss was granted a preliminary injunction that’ll let him play for the Rebels next season.

That news overshadowed another piece of a news, a loss Ole Miss suffered on the recruiting trail.

Hueytown (Ala.) four-star defensive lineman Donivan Moore has committed to Alex Golesh and the Auburn Tigers after going public with a decision on Thursday evening.

“This is like a dream coming true for me,” Moore told Rivals after making his commitment. “I’ve been an Auburn fan growing up. I watched the Iron Bowl and told myself as a kid that I wanted to play in that game. I never imagined things would happen this fast. To get the offer from Auburn and now be committed — it’s shocking.”

Moore, a priority Ole Miss Rebels target, has cruised up the recruiting ranks this offseason where he’s ascended to the No. 1 overall prospect in Alabama and a top-five defensive lineman in the 2027 Recruiting Cycle.

More trimmed his final schools two weeks ago and included Ole Miss and Auburn along with LSU, Ohio State, Alabama and Texas. Ultimately, he choose to go with the team he’s been cheering for his whole life.

“Every time I go to Auburn, it feels like home. Everyone welcomes me, and the love from Auburn’s coaches is real” Moore added. It just feels right, like another home.”

Like Ole Miss, Auburn went through a coaching change and most of the coaching staff at Auburn are new. But not all of the assistant coaches are new. A few were retained from the previous regime and that mattered a lot to Moore.

“One of the biggest reasons I committed now is trust,” Moore said. “Coach Vontrell [King-Williams] is honest with me, and I believe the coaches there. The communication was key — they never stopped checking on me. And when I’m there, it just feels like home.”

So while Ole Miss didn’t get the result it wanted with Moore, the day still swung heavily in the Rebels’ favor.

Landing Chambliss for next season changes the roster in a way one recruiting loss can’t undo, and the staff now turns the page knowing there’s still plenty of time, and plenty of targets, left in this cycle.