The preseason honors are starting to come in and Tuesday’s update brought good news for Ole Miss.
The Walter Camp Football Foundation released its 2026 Preseason All-American teams, and two Rebels made the cut: running back Kewan Lacy on the First Team and kicker Lucas Carneiro on the Second Team.
Lacy landing on the First Team isn’t exactly shocking. He’s the SEC’s second-leading returning rusher and one of the most productive backs in the country. Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy joined him at the position, which feels like the right pairing heading into the season.
Carneiro earned Second Team honors behind Oklahoma’s Tate Sandell, and that tracks too. Carneiro led the nation in field goals last year and has been one of the most reliable specialists in college football. He almost single-handily beat Georgia in last season’s Sugar Bowl.
They’re the only Rebels on either team, which naturally leads to the next question: what about the others? Trinidad Chambliss, Suntarine Perkins and Will Echoles have shown up on plenty of preseason lists, so seeing them left off here might look like a snub at first glance.
But once you look at the quarterback spot, it’s hard to make a real argument.
Arch Manning and Julian Sayin are the First and Second Team selections, and that’s a tough duo to crack. Chambliss is coming off a huge season and has earned every bit of the hype he’s getting, but Manning and Sayin are two of the biggest names in the sport right now. There’s no shame in being behind them in July.
Ole Miss still walks away with two All-Americans, both of whom have legitimate shots at national awards by December. And if Chambliss, Perkins, Echoles or any other Rebel wants to join them, they’ll have every opportunity once the season kicks off.
Walter Camp Preseason All-American Teams
First Team Offense
- Wide Receiver: Malachi Toney (Miami), Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State)
- Tight End: Trey’Dez Green (LSU)
- Offensive Line: Carter Smith (Indiana), Trevor Goosby (Texas), Austin Siereveld (Ohio State), Anthonie Knapp (Notre Dame)
- Center: Kade Pieper (Iowa)
- Quarterback: Arch Manning (Texas)
- Running Back: Kewan Lacy (Ole Miss), Ahmad Hardy (Missouri)
- Placekicker: Tate Sandell (Oklahoma)
First Team Defense
- Defensive Line: Dylan Stewart (South Carolina), Colin Simmons (Texas), Tyrique Tucker (Indiana), Teitum Tuioti (Oregon)
- Linebacker: Xavier Atkins (Auburn), Sammy Brown (Clemson), Rasheem Biles (Texas)
- Defensive Back: Kelley Jones (Mississippi State), Leonard Moore (Notre Dame), Brandon Finney, Jr. (Oregon), KJ Bolden (Georgia)
- Punter: Palmer Williams (Baylor)
- Kick Returner: Da’Realyst Clark (Kent State)
Second Team Offense
- Wide Receiver: Cam Coleman (Texas), KJ Duff (Rutgers)
- Tight End: Jamari Johnson (Oregon)
- Offensive Line: Evan Tengesdahl (Cincinnati), Wendell Moe, Jr. (Tennessee), Jordan Seaton (LSU), Andrew Sprague (Michigan)
- Center: Drew Bobo (Georgia)
- Quarterback: Julian Sayin (Ohio State)
- Running Back: Cam Cook (West Virginia), Caleb Hawkins (Oklahoma State)
- Placekicker: Lucas Carneiro (Ole Miss)
Second Team Defense
- Defensive Line: A’Mauri Washington (Oregon), Anthony Smith (Minnesota), David Stone (Oklahoma), John Henry Daley (Michigan)
- Linebacker: Rolijah Hardy (Indiana), Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asu (Notre Dame), Isaiah Jones (Indiana)
- Defensive Back: Bray Hubbard (Alabama), Ellis Robinson IV (Georgia), Marcus Ratcliffe (Texas A&M), Bryce Fitzgerald (Miami)
- Punter: Evan Crenshaw (Troy)
- Kick Returner: Chauncy Cobb (Arkansas State)
