August 17, 2026
Grove Collective All-Nighter Locks Up Chambliss, Lacy as Ole Miss Enters 2026 Ranked No. 9
William Evans and the Grove Collective worked through the night to secure two key skill players, helping fuel a top-ten preseason ranking for first-year head coach Pete Golding.
Ole Miss's NIL operation mounted an all-night effort to retain wide receivers Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy for the 2026 roster, with William Evans, Director of Development for the Grove Collective, playing a central role in assembling the Rebels' skill-position group ahead of what is shaping up as one of the program's most anticipated seasons in recent memory.
The retention of Chambliss and Lacy figures to pay immediate dividends in the court of public opinion. On Sunday, the Associated Press released its preseason top 25, slotting Ole Miss at No. 9 nationally — a ranking the Red Cup Rebellion attributed in part to media confidence in the returning duo alongside the defensive overhaul assembled by first-year head coach Pete Golding.
Top-Ten Billing Comes With a Demanding Schedule
The preseason placement reflects a program that reached the College Football Playoff national semifinal last season before falling to Miami, which enters 2026 ranked No. 7. National champion Indiana also sits ahead of the Rebels in the poll, and three SEC programs — Georgia, Texas, and Texas A&M — are ranked higher within the conference. Nine SEC schools total appear in the preseason top 25, underscoring the level of competition Ole Miss will face week to week.
The schedule presents a significant challenge to any postseason ambitions. Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, LSU, Louisville, and Missouri are all ranked in the preseason poll, accounting for roughly half of Ole Miss's games this season. Analysts have noted that a 9-3 record — achieved by splitting those high-profile matchups — may not be sufficient to earn a return trip to the College Football Playoff.
Golding, whose measured approach in press conferences has drawn favorable notice, inherits a roster that the Grove Collective worked overnight to stabilize. The successful retention of Chambliss and Lacy gives him established weapons in the passing game as he builds out a new-look defense, and it signals that Ole Miss's NIL infrastructure is positioned to compete for talent at the highest level of the sport. With the season opener less than three weeks away, the Rebels carry both the expectations of a top-ten ranking and the scrutiny that comes with it.
