The Ole Miss Rebels are 6-0 (3-0 SEC) to start the 2025 college football season for a reason. The Rebels have a lot of great players and have an excellent coaching staff under head coach Lane Kiffin.
Ole Miss is looking to defeat the Georgia Bulldogs on the road to boost their College Football Playoff hopes. Ole Miss and Georgia have two distinct ways of acquiring talent.
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The Rebels focus on the transfer portal. Ole Miss finished with the No. 4 transfer class in the country and added 30 total transfers. The Rebels’ starting running back and quarterback are both transfer additions, but neither player was highly regarded in the portal.
Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was a three-star transfer and the No. 60 player at his position in the country, per 247Sports. Running back Kewan Lacy was also a three-star transfer and the No. 18 transfer at his position. Both players have completely outperformed their transfer rankings and are leading an explosive Ole Miss offense that is No. 2 in the SEC in passing (311.0 yards per game) and No. 5 in rushing (204.3 yards per game).
Contrarily, coach Kirby Smart and Georgia heavily rely on recruiting and developing high school talent. The Bulldogs have significantly outrecruited Lane Kiffin for high school talent. Georgia has always finished at least 10 spots higher than Ole Miss in the 247Sports recruiting rankings during the Kiffin era. Most recently, Georgia finished with eh No. 2 recruiting class in the 2025 cycle while Ole Miss finished with the No. 16 class.
However, Georgia is not as effective in the portal as Ole Miss. The Bulldogs eye quality, not quantity (10 transfers) in the portal, but Georgia (No. 22) still finished well below Ole Miss (No. 4) in the transfer rankings.
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Linebacker Suntarine Perkins
Suntarine Perkins (No. 4) of the Mississippi Rebels reacts during the first half
Perkins had 10.5 sacks last season, but does not have any in 2025. He has excellent speed and earned preseason All-American honors from several different sources. Perkins will face a beat up Georgia offensive line.
Stats: 26 tackles, one tackle for a loss and four quarterback hits
Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss
Trinidad Chambliss of the Mississippi Rebels passes the ball
Ferris State transfer Trinidad Chambliss was not viewed as a major transfer portal addition, but he has made a massive impact with the Rebels. Chambliss is a dual-threat quarterback and has overtaken Austin Simmons for the starting role with his decision making ability, experience and athleticism.
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Stats: Completed 85 of 130 passes for 1,286 yards for seven touchdowns and one interception
Running back Kewan Lacy
Mississippi Rebels running back Kewan Lacy runs the ball during the second quarter against the Washington State Cougars
Lacy, a Missouri transfer, has been dynamic for the Rebels’ rushing attack. He is coming off a career-best 142-yard performance last week against Washington State.
“He’s a good back,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said on Lacy. “He’s vertical, sideways, catches the ball, explosive, really good player.”
Stats: 126 rushers for 587 yards and eight touchdowns
Tight end Dae’Quan Wright
Mississippi Rebels tight end Dae’Quan Wright
Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright leads the SEC in yards per reception (22.4) and is a big play waiting to happen. Wright is among the country’s leading receivers at tight end. He transferred to Ole Miss from Virginia Tech in 2024.
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Stats: 16 receptions for 359 receiving yards and two touchdowns
The Ole Miss at Georgia game will be televised on ABC. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 18.
This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Ole Miss players to watch against Georgia football
