Fall camp is the perfect opportunity for newcomers to find their place on the team and compete for a starting spot.
With Ole Miss ' fall camp officially underway, depth chart questions will finally be answered on the practice field. The Rebels added around 30 players to the roster since last season, and now they'll have to earn their keep before the season opener.
A rotational edge piece pushing for more, a receiver flying under the radar, and a defensive tackle with breakout potential could all push for starting spots this season.
Oregon outside linebacker Blake Purchase pressures Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza as the Oregon Ducks host the Indiana Hoosiers Oct. 11, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Blake Purchase is a highly talented Oregon transfer who has spent his career playing behind multiple All-Americans, but that could all change in Oxford.
Purchase has the ideal edge frame at 6'3" and 250lbs; alongside the build, he possesses the necessary length and lateral fluidity to play the standard defensive end as well as an off-ball linebacker.
He's displayed an explosive first step, allowing him to threaten opposing tackles and win early in the rep quickly. He brings proven experience to Ole Miss as a key rotation piece for Oregon's defense this past year.
Last year, Purchase broke out, recording 32 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and finishing his extended season with zero missed tackles.
For the first time in his career, Blake Purchase has a clear path to real rotational snaps with the Rebels. After many key losses in that position group, he has the perfect opportunity to prove he belongs at Ole Miss.
Ole Miss will be Horatio Fields' third team (Wake Forest and Auburn), and no one is talking about him.
Fields stands at 6'2" and 210lbs, possessing the ideal SEC X-receiver frame and allowing him to act as a traditional boundary receiver. He's consistent at the catch point, using a wide catch radius, and his elite grip strength makes him a reliable target under pressure. Fields is a great route runner, showcasing an understanding of coverage blindspots to find openings in man or zone coverage.
2024 was his last full season, hauling in 9 receptions for 463 yards and 4 touchdowns for Wake Forest. Fields broke his foot early in his 2025 campaign with Auburn.
While Horatio Fields ' path to starting isn't easy, he separated himself before even stepping on campus. There isn't another receiver on the roster with the same physical presence as Fields, and Pete Golding will eventually need a true X-receiver.
Jaheim Oatis is a Colorado transfer who is already projected as a starter by analysts.
Oatis possesses the textbook massive frame of an elite SEC nose tackle, standing 6'5" and 340 lbs; his raw size allows him to eat up double teams or prevent opposing linemen from climbing to the second level. He excels at shedding blocks at the point of attack, using his functional strength to collapse the pocket from the interior, limiting the inside run game for opposing offenses. Oatis has proven SEC experience, appearing in 29 games with 13 starts over his career with Alabama .
While Oatis' production from last season isn't anything special, pairing him alongside Will Echoles will make this unit even more destructive.
Pete Golding explicitly pointed out that the defense lacked enough interior defensive line depth to stay fresh late in games, so why not Jaheim Oatis ? He's the standard SEC anchor needed to clog running lanes or take on double teams, and after excelling under Pete Golding at Alabama in 2022, he earned Freshman All-SEC honors.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/olemiss as Three Rebels Who Could Climb the Depth Chart This Week .
