OXFORD, Miss. —Â After an eventful second half of the 2025 season, the Ole Miss Rebels and new head coach Pete Golding went to work in the transfer portal.
Following a 13-2 season, which ended in Phoenix with a loss to Miami in the Fiesta Bowl of the College Football Playoff Semifinals, the Rebels immediately shifted their focus towards reinforcing an already talented, championship-ready team.
Golding landed plenty of talent on offense, including two quarterbacks, three running backs, five wide receivers, two tight ends and four offensive linemen. However, the Rebels also loaded up fairly heavily on the defensive side of the ball. (Click HERE for our Transfer Portal Tracker.)
Here’s a look at the incoming talent for Golding’s 2026 defense.
Defensive line
Renaud was certainly a great addition for Golding and the Rebels through the portal. The defensive lineman spent three seasons in Tuscaloosa, and although he wasn’t the most statistically impressive, he possesses the talent to succeed. The former four-star out of high school stands at almost 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, and will be a great addition to the defensive line with his raw power, ability to stop the run and disrupt the play in an instant.
Boireau will definitely provide the defensive line room with more experience; however, and may even be more talented as an athlete; at 6-feet-5, 350 pounds, the defensive lineman made a game-winning interception for the Gators last season. He will enter Oxford as a junior after having recorded 35 tackles, two for a loss and two sacks after appearing in 21 games over two seasons for Florida. Boireau could definitely make an immediate impact for the Rebels next season.
Oatis’ performances have not produced statistical numbers, but he will still bring in talent with tons of potential. In his freshman year with the Crimson Tide, he recorded 29 tackles and a sack, following that up with 26 tackles and half a sack in 2024. During his 2025 campaign in Boulder, he tallied just nine tackles. Oatis will hope for a bounce-back season in Golding’s defense, but he is certainly the biggest question mark of the three defensive linemen.
Edge rushers
Purchase will be bringing in 15 games-worth of experience to Oxford — and a College Football Playoff appearance last season — and will easily fight for the role to replace standout edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen, who left via the transfer portal. Purchase finished the 2025 season with 32 tackles, four-and-a-half for a loss, and two sacks with the Ducks last season. The former four-star is quite the presence on the edge at about 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, and could easily excel in Golding’s defense.
Maldonado will certainly fight Purchase for playing time, though. The former Wolfpack standout edge rusher tallied 38 tackles, nine for a loss and five sacks last season, proving to be quite the force in the Mountain West. He is taller than Purchase at 6-foot-6, but is also a bit lighter at 233 pounds, meaning that he’ll provide a bit more flexibility and athleticism for the Rebels on the edge. Maldonaldo will have one more year of eligibility to take advantage of in Oxford.
Linebackers
Ferrelli, one of the Rebels’ more recent additions, flipped to Ole Miss after having originally committed to Clemson out of the portal, which has stirred up some drama after Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney made tampering accusations. However, Golding and Ole Miss will be getting more talent than drama. Ferrelli appeared in all 13 games for the Golden Bears last season and accumulated 91 tackles, five for a loss, two pass breakups, one interception and a sack. With Power-5 experience and success, the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year will look to improve in Oxford and help lead the Rebels’ defense back to another College Football Playoff appearance, and hopefully, a national title.
Butler had a nice sophomore campaign in 2025, finishing with 34 tackles, three for a loss, four pass breakups and an interception with the Yellow Jackets last season. As a freshman in 2024, he tallied 25 tackles, 17 of them solo. Following the departure of TJ Dottery and Princewill Umanmielen, Butler’s 6-foot-1, 230-pound frame will be put to use as soon as he gets to campus in Oxford with two years of eligibility.
Thomas, the former Bears linebacker, will also bring some Power-5 experience with him, like Butler and Ferrelli. He originally began his career at the JUCO level at Northeast Mississippi, before spending two seasons in Waco. As a former three-star, Thomas was surely underrated as a recruit, considering how he recorded almost 100 tackles in back-to-back seasons, tallying 106 in 2024 and 99 this past season, while also recording an interception in each campaign.
Cornerbacks
Ole Miss landed one of its best defensive backs by obtaining Denson, the former Gator, who recorded 53 tackles and two tackles for a loss last season. During his career with Florida, he notched 95 tackles, an interception and two sacks. Denson is impressive and flexible in coverage, allowing him to find success in man and zone coverage. The Rebels will bring Denson in hopes of revamping the secondary room, which had its issues at times last season.
Crawford also earned some experience at Auburn over the past two seasons and even earned SEC All-Freshman honors in 2024. After starting in 18 games over two seasons, he managed to acquire 30 tackles and two interceptions. With his experience, he could easily be an immediate contributor in the Ole Miss secondary next season. He also played wide receiver in high school, which contributes to his successful versatility on defense, even being a bit smaller at 6-foot, 180 pounds.
Safety
Mitchell has an interesting story with his return to the SEC. As a four-star recruit out of Alabama, he originally committed to Tennessee before decomitting, committing to Alabama, and spending one season there before going to the JUCO ranks and then transferring to Mississippi State for a season. He’ll now arrive in Oxford, where he’ll spend his senior season. He will be the biggest uncertainty of the three corners, but Golding will hope to find a spot for him in the defense. Mitchell recorded 25 tackles, 13 of them solo, with the Bulldogs in Starkville last season.
Aguero, like Mitchell, will only bring one more year of eligibility to Oxford, but will hope to make the most of it. Through three seasons in Athens, Aguero totaled 80 tackles, seven pass breakups and an interception. Even at just under 6-feet tall, Aguero is still very aggressive, tracking the ball well and delivering big hits. He, along with Mitchell and Joseph, will help add valuable depth and experience to the Ole Miss defensive back room next season.
Joseph was a key contributor on the Seminoles’ defense last season. The Florida native and former four-star originally chose Florida State out of high school and has been a role player during his time in Tallahassee. He recorded 37 tackles, 5 pass deflections, three interceptions and a forced fumble during the 2025 campaign. The great part of the addition of Joseph is that he’ll enter Oxford as a junior, meaning he still has two years to contribute and develop.
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Noah Scoggins
Noah is from Killeen, Texas, and graduated from Early College High School. He grew up in the Birmingham, Alabama, area and is now a second-year senior at the University of Alabama and will graduate in the spring. He is currently majoring in news media with a focus in sports media, as well as a minor in criminal justice. Noah has always loved and been passionate about college athletics and wants to share his love for sports.
