OXFORD, Miss. -After appearing in just three games as a true freshman and seeing the entire coaching staff that managed to flip his initial commitment from Alabama to Ole Miss leave Oxford, Caleb Cunningham easily could've taken a similar route.
Former Ole Miss wide receiver coach George McDonald and LSU made a run for Cunningham's services following the notable departure, and in similar cases, it would be the perfect opportunity to pounce on entering the transfer portal.
Not only were familiar faces headed elsewhere, but new faces and uncertainty surrounding the Rebels' offensive coaching staff were just arriving.
Still, the former five-star and top-ranked Magnolia State prospect opted to trust the process in Oxford. Ole Miss brought in John David Baker and L'Damian Washington last December in an effort to retain players and sell them on the offense they could be playing for moving forward.
Ole Miss' ambition to be proactive helped make Cunningham's decision turn out to be an easy one. Of course, location also played a critical part.
"PG, that's my guy. Then I knew we were bringing in a good receiver coach, Coach LD (Washington). Plus, me being from Mississippi, I just wanted to stay home and represent this state," Cunningham explained following Tuesday's practice. "I knew my opportunity would come because I had faith in myself. I gotta give faith to God, I talk to him every night, and I knew he was going to let me make the right decision - which, as you could see, I made the right decision. It wasn't a hard decision at all. This is where I want to be, so I'm going to stay here."
Though Pete Golding's background is heavily influenced by the defensive side of the ball, his authenticity has managed to make a lasting impression on players outside of that unit.
"He's real genuine. That's one word for him: he's genuine," Cunningham said of Golding. "He's going to keep it real with you. That's what I love; he keeps it real with you. Plus, he's a Mississippi guy too, for sure and his energy. His energy speaks a lot."
Oct 10, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Caleb Cunningham (3) runs with the ball after a made catch against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
In his second year with the Rebels, Cunningham has turned potential into production.
Cunningham has posted 18 catches for 231 receiving yards (12.2 YPC) and two touchdowns , through five games in which he's registered a reception.
116 of Cunningham's receiving yards and both of his scores this season have come in the Rebels' last two games at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, which have been in wins against Missouri and Auburn.
On Halloween against Auburn in Week 9, Cunningham proved to be a reliable and frequent target for Trinidad Chambliss, hauling in six receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown.
Following his outing earlier in October against Missouri, where Cunningham posted 61 yards and his first career score on three receptions, Golding gushed about his 20-year-old pass catcher.
"I've seen that for two years. We've been talking about that. (Cunningham) was on our scout field; I told you I call him '(Randy) Moss'. So I was glad to see us get in the red zone and throw him a fade. He's really tough to cover; he's got really strong hands, he's a size-speed guy and he's going to get better every week. That kid has no idea how good he could be," Golding previously said of Cunningham. "He's going to be a superstar."
At this point, it doesn't appear that Cunningham will be playing college football anywhere else. The fit makes too much sense and the up-and-coming receiver is among the players Ole Miss is in active talks about retaining for next season as well.
"I think daily. I mean, that's part of the general manager Austin (Thomas)'s job as well. But we have weekly reports based on retention and value of guys that you've invested in and 'What do their production and their performance look like up to this point?'. So that's constant," Golding said of Ole Miss' active roster recruitment in October . "That's every week. I think a lot of those conversations with guys that have the ability to come back start earlier than they used to be.
We all know there's other conversations going on, so we definitely want to stay ahead of the game. I think for sure, building elite programs (means) you got to retain the best players that you have on your current roster. I think stability and systems help you do that, but there's no point in stability in the system if you can't keep the players in the system. So that's day to day. But yeah, we're already working on that, to be honest with you."
Up next for Cunningham and the Rebels are the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs.
It's a special matchup for Cunningham, not only because he was on the Ole Miss sideline for its upset playoff win in the Sugar Bowl, but also because the last time Georgia came to Oxford that was the weekend the Rebels successfully flipped his commitment from Alabama.
Saturday's kickoff between the Rebels and Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC.
"You gotta give all the credit to the fans," Cunningham said of the Rebels' recent home atmosphere. "They are the ones that bring the energy and we just feed off of it. We got the best crowd in America for sure. I give a lot of credit to the fans, we feed into that. Then we just got a good team. We got a lot of great players and we're going to go as far as they take us."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/olemiss as Why Caleb Cunningham Stayed Put at Ole Miss and Isn't Going Anywhere .
