Looking at Ole Miss’ large group of mid-year enrollees for Kiffin’s new team

OXFORD, Miss. — With the start of spring football just a few months away, Ole Miss officially welcomed 40 mid-year enrollees to campus.

It’s the nucleus of Lane Kiffin’s transfer class that is ranked No. 2 in the country by 247Sports and On3.com in the top of nearly all of the rankings. After just missing out on the College Football Playoff it’s a way for Kiffin’s Rebels to have a shot at four straight 10-win-plus seasons.

The list of new Rebels joining the team for spring practice features 24 scholarship transfers that Rivals currently ranks as the No. 1 class in the team transfer rankings. The Rebels’ transfer class ranks No. 2 by both On3 and 247Sports.

The latest scholarship transfers include Deuce Alexander (WR), Jaylon Braxton (CB), Trace Bruckler (TE), Lucas Carneiro (K), Tahj Chambers (LB), Pierce Clarkson (QB), Kapena Gushiken (S), Trey Hall (RB), Luke Hasz (TE), Andrew Jones (LB), Patrick Kutas (OL), Kewan Lacy (RB), Percy Lewis (OL), Caleb Odom (WR), Traylon Ray (WR), Sage Ryan (S), Jordon Simmons (RB), De’Zhaun Stribling (WR), Delano Townsend (OL), Princewill Umanmielen (DE), Harrison Wallace III (WR), PJ Wilkins (OL), Da’Shawn Womack (DE) and Jaden Yates (LB).

Thirteen December signees Corey Adams (DE), Dillon Alfred (WR), Oscar Bird (P), Hayden Bradley (TE), Maison Dunn (DB), Talib Graham (DE), Devin Harper (OL), Jarcoby Hopson (LB), Connor Howes (OL), Andrew Maddox (DT), MJ Preston (DB), Samari Reed (WR), Winston Watkins (WR), along with walk-ons George Hamsley (QB), Mason Waddle (OL) and Bryson Walters (LB) round out Ole Miss’ early enrollees.

Alexander spent two years at Wake Forest, playing in 13 career games for the Demon Deacons. The Douglasville, Georgia, native hauled in 36 catches for 400 yards and two touchdowns last year in Winston-Salem. Alexander had a career-day in the 2024 season opener with five catches for 69 yards and a TD vs. North Carolina A&T.

Bird, a 24-year-old punter from Sydney, Australia, has spent the last four seasons with the Perth Football Club within the Western Australian Football League. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound international will be classified as a freshman and will have four seasons of eligibility.

Arkansas transfer Braxton battled injury in 2024 but earned Freshman All-SEC accolades in 2023 for the Razorbacks. Braxton appeared in 11 career games in Fayetteville, with six starts as a true freshman. In 2023, he led the team with eight pass breakups, while recording 20 tackles, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception. Braxton was a consensus four-star prospect according to all major recruiting services.

Bruckler was a two-year starter for New Mexico and tallied 39 career games played in his four years in Albuquerque. Bruckler hauled in 46 career catches for 421 yards and five touchdowns at New Mexico. His best season was 2024, where he tallied 22 receptions for 138 yards and two scores. Bruckler was named Mountain West All-Academic in 2021 and 2023.

Carneiro, a Lou Groza Award semifinalist and first-team All-American last season, brings multiple years of eligibility and experience to the Ole Miss squad. Serving as Western Kentucky’s primary placekicker for the last two years, Carneiro connected on field goals at an 87.1 percent clip for the Hilltoppers. Carneiro had one of the best seasons for a kicker in WKU history in 2024, earning CUSA Special Teams Player of the Year, finishing the season 18-for-19 on field goal attempts and 41-for-41 on PATs. He was 6-for-6 from 50-plus yards, with two 54-yard makes.

Chambers is a 6-foot-2, 215-pound linebacker from Missouri State who has appeared in 43 career games with 28 starts in the last five seasons for the Bears. He has registered 196 total career tackles and eight pass deflections. Chambers had a breakout year last season leading Missouri State with 88 total tackles and finishing second on the team with 7.0 tackles for loss. He posted eight or more tackles in six of the Bears’ 12 games.

Clarkson, a quarterback from Bellflower, California, spent the last two years at Louisville. Clarkson appeared in three games in 2023 and 2024 in a reserve role. He was a former consensus four-star prospect who ranked as the No. 20 quarterback by 247Sports and the No. 27 player in California in the class of 2023. Clarkson was selected to play in the All-American Bowl and finished his prep career with 3,319 passing yards and 42 TDs. He helped lead John Bosco HS to a CIF Open Division state title and No. 1 national ranking.

Gushiken, who is getting an additional year after the NCAA’s ruling in December over JUCO eligibility, has appeared in 44 career games between Washington State and Saddleback College. The Pukalani, Hawaii, native started 16 games with the Cougars over the last two seasons. He finished third on the team in 2024 with 52 total tackles, 3.5 TFLs, two interceptions and eight pass deflections.

Hall, a native of Vicksburg, Mississippi, spent the last two years shining in the backfield for Mississippi Gulf Coast CC. In two seasons at MGCCC, Hall ran for 1,981 yards and tallied 20 rushing touchdowns. In 2024, Hall led the Bulldogs to a semifinal appearance in the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference semifinals, rushing for 1,098 yards and 13 TDs on the season. He was named a second-team All-American by the NJCAA and National Junior College Athletic Association and was the MACCC South Division Player of the Year.

Arkansas Razorbacks tight end Luke Hasz makes a catch in a game against the Ole Miss Rebels at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. / Nilsen Roman-HottyToddy.com Images

Hasz, a tight end transfer from Arkansas, is rated as the No. 37 overall transfer prospect and the No. 2 tight end by 247Sports. He is also listed as the No. 41 transfer prospect by On3. In his two seasons in Fayetteville, Hasz appeared in 17 games for the Razorbacks, making 15 starts. He has hauled in 42 career receptions for 577 yards and seven touchdowns. The Bixby, Oklahoma, native caught a season-high five passes for 77 yards and one touchdown against Ole Miss.

Jones was named the 2024 SWAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year for Grambling State in 2024, seeing action at linebacker in all 12 games. Jones ranked first in the conference and sixth nationally with 122 total tackles. His 20.5 tackles for loss ranked second in the SWAC and fourth in the FCS. The Marrero, Louisiana, native registered double-digit tackles in 10 of GSU’s 12 games, including a season-high 15 tackles against Alabama A&M. He was named the SWAC Defensive Player of the Week three times in 2024 and was a Buck Buchanan Award Finalist and an HBCU+ Player of the Year Finalist.

Kutas is rated the No. 10 overall transfer prospect and the No. 1 offensive lineman by 247Sports. Kutas played in 25 games across his three seasons at Arkansas, making 13 starts. He led in the trenches during Arkansas’s 58-25 win over Mississippi State, as the Razorbacks tallied 673 yards of total offense (314 passing, 359 rushing). The Memphis, Tennessee, native started nine games his sophomore year before an injury ended his season. Kutas saw 552 snaps in 2022 and logged another 81 snaps on the special teams unit.

Lacy is a running back transfer who tallied 23 carries for 104 yards in six games for Missouri in 2024. He registered a season-high six carries for 27 yards in Missouri’s 38-0 win over Buffalo. The Dallas, Texas, native caught two passes for nine yards on the season. Lacy was a dual-sport athlete in high school competing in both football and track and field. He ranked as the No. 184 overall player and No. 16 running back in the 2024 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

Lewis has played a total of 37 collegiate games, with 14 starts, through his five-year college career at Auburn, Mississippi State and Mississippi Gulf Coast CC. He started five games for the Tigers in 2024 and helped lead Auburn to PFF Team of the Week honors after their win against New Mexico. Before his time on the plains, Lewis played at Mississippi State where he saw action in 25 games, making eight starts. He was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll for the 2022-23 year.

Odom, a wide receiver transfer from Alabama, played in 12 games for the Tide as a true freshman, making one start. He hauled in seven receptions for 65 yards in 2024. The Carrollton, Georgia, product hauled in two receptions for 23 yards in his first collegiate game against Western Kentucky. A unanimous four-star recruit by all major sites, Odom ranked as On3’s No. 27 overall prospect and No. 3 player from Georgia. He was selected to the Under Armour All-America Game following his senior season at Carrollton High School

Ray is a wide receiver transfer from West Virginia who appeared in 22 career games over two seasons at West Virginia. In 10 games for the Mountaineers in 2024, he hauled in 28 receptions for 428 yards and four touchdowns. Ray had a season-high 78 receiving yards and one touchdown against Arizona. During his freshman season in 2023, Ray ranked fifth on the team with 18 catches for 321 yards.

Ryan was a key member of LSU’s secondary for the last four seasons. In 43 career appearances, Ryan saw 10 starts at cornerback, four starts at safety, and seven in the nickel position. He tallied 103 career tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, one sack and one interception. Ryan had five or more tackles in four games in 2024 and tallied a pass breakup in four of the 12 contests.

Simmons is a 5-foot-11, 200-pound running back who is joining Ole Miss after stints at Michigan State and most recently at Akron. The senior has accrued an impressive 45 collegiate games, which includes 11 starts from last season with Akron. Simmons rushed for 664 yards last season for the Zips while crossing the goal line twice. He has amassed over 1,100 yards in his career. While at Michigan State, Simmons earned Academic All-Big Ten accolades in 2021 while making a start in the Chic-fil-A Peach Bowl against No. 12 Pittsburgh. He led the team in rushing yards as a freshman in 2020, tabbing 219 yards on 56 carries.

Stribling joins Ole Miss after two-year stints with Washington State and most recently at Oklahoma State, where he has tallied 41 career appearances. He’s hauled in 161 catches in four years at the NCAA Division I level, for over 2,000 total yards. Stribling enjoyed a breakout season for the Cowboys in 2024, where he paced the team with 882 receiving yards while bringing in six touchdowns. At Washington State, he led the team in every receiving category as a sophomore in 2022. He was a 2021 All-Pac-12 honorable mention after leading all Pac-12 freshmen in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

Townsend is a 6-foot-4, 300-pound interior lineman who spent the first two years of his college career at UAB. The Flint, Michigan, native appeared in all 12 of the Blazers games last season while earning 11 starts. Townsend was part of the 2023 recruiting class, where he garnered three-star status as the No. 40 recruit in the state of Michigan in that cycle.

Umanmielen, a 2023 second-team Freshman All-American, comes to Ole Miss with previous ties to the program. The younger brother of former Ole Miss DE Princely Umanimielen, Princewill played in 23 games for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, recording 35 tackles, seven of which for a loss, and 1.5 sacks. The Austin, Texas, native is ranked as the ninth-best player in the transfer portal according to 247 Sports and is a top-25 overall transfer by On3 and Rivals. A 6-foot-5, 245-pound junior, Umanmielen was a 2024 Academic All-Big Ten member.

Wallace heads to Ole Miss after a four-year career at Penn State. The Montgomery, Alabama, native made 84 catches for the Nittany Lions while hauling in six touchdowns. Wallace is coming off a career-year which saw him rank second for Penn State in receptions (46) and receiving yards (720). Wallace was the No. 54 ranked player in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports, and is the No. 16 receiver. Wallace’ best performance at Penn State came against West Virginia in the 2024 season opener, where he hauled in a career-high 117 receiving yards with a pair of touchdowns.

Wilkins played in 11 games for Charlotte during his redshirt freshman campaign. The 6-foot-7, 340-pound lineman from Atlanta, Georgia, played in 142 snaps in 2024. He was listed as a top-100 offensive lineman in the transfer portal, earning a three-star ranking. In high school, Wilkins graded out as a top-50 recruit in the state of Georgia.

Womack received high praise after entering the transfer portal, getting listed as a four-star recruit and top-50 national ranking by On3 and Rivals. He is the No. 6 defensive end in the portal according to On3. Womack tallied 21 tackles at LSU in two seasons, also earning 2.5 sacks. He played in all 12 games for LSU as a freshman in 2023. The Baltimore, Maryland, native was a five-star recruit by On3 and 247Sports in the 2023 recruiting cycle, landing at the No. 42 spot nationally.

Yates was the Sun Belt’s leading tackler in 2024, registering 120 total tackles; the ninth-most in the FBS last season. His 2024 campaign helped him earn a spot on Phil Steele’s All-American honorable mention list while comfortably securing a spot on the All-Sun Belt first team. He posted six games with 10-plus tackles, including taking down 13 at Old Dominion. He helped Marshall to a Sun Belt Championship victory, the first in program history.

2025 OLE MISS MID-YEAR ENROLLEES

Corey Adams | DL | 6-4 | 235 | FR-HS | New Orleans, La./Edna Karr

Deuce Alexander | WR | 6-0 | 175 | SO-TR | Douglasville, Ga./Douglas County/Wake Forest

Dillon Alfred | WR | 6-0 | 180 | FR-HS | Gautier, Miss./Saraland

Oscar Bird | P | 6-4 | 205 | FR-HS | Sydney, Australia/Barker College

Hayden Bradley | TE | 6-4 | 230 | FR-HS | Buford, Ga./Buford

Jaylon Braxton | CB | 6-0 | 190 | SO-TR | Frisco, Texas/Lone Star/Arkansas

Trace Bruckler | TE | 6-3 | 245 | SR-TR | Frisco, Texas/Lone Star/New Mexico

Lucas Carneiro | K | 5-11 | 190 | JR-TR | Cornelius, N.C./Comm. School of Davidson/WKU

Tahj Chambers | LB | 6-2 | 225 | SR-TR | Arlington, Texas/Grace Prep/Missouri State

Pierce Clarkson | QB | 6-1 | 195 | SO-TR | Bellflower, Calif./St. John Bosco/Louisville

Maison Dunn | DB | 6-3 | 185 | FR-HS | Tupelo, Miss./Tupelo

Talib Graham | DE | 6-2 | 245 | FR-HS | Daphne, Ala./Daphne

Kapena Gushiken | S | 6-0 | 185 | SR-TR | Pukalani, Hawaii/Kamehameha/Saddleback/Wash. State

Trey Hall | RB | 5-11 | 185 | JR-TR | Vicksburg, Miss./Warren Central/Mississippi Gulf Coast CC

George Hamsley^ | QB | 6-5 | 220 | JR-TR | Memphis, Tenn./Memphis Univ. School/LSU/Tenn. State

Devin Harper | OL | 6-5 | 315 | FR-HS | Shreveport, La./Calvary Baptist Academy

Luke Hasz | TE | 6-3 | 240 | JR-TR | Bixby, Okla./Bixby/Arkansas

Jarcoby Hopson | LB | 6-2 | 210 | FR-HS | Tunica, Miss./Lake Cormorant

Connor Howes | OL | 6-6 | 310 | FR-HS | Saint Cloud, Fla./Osceola

Andrew Jones | LB | 6-2 | 220 | SR-TR | Marrero, La./John Ehret/Memphis/Grambling State

Patrick Kutas | OL | 6-5 | 315 | JR-TR | Memphis, Tenn./Christian Brothers/Arkansas

Kewan Lacy | RB | 5-11 | 200 | SO-TR | Dallas, Texas/Lancaster/Missouri

Percy Lewis | OL | 6-7 | 355 | SR-TR | Sallis, Miss./McAdams/Miss. Gulf Coast CC/MSU/Auburn

Andrew Maddox | DT | 6-4 | 280 | FR-HS | Hattiesburg, Miss./Oak Grove

Caleb Odom | WR | 6-5 | 215 | SO-TR | Carrollton, Ga./Carrollton/Alabama

MJ Preston | DB | 6-1 | 190 | FR-HS | Petersburg, Va./IMG Academy

Traylon Ray | WR | 6-1 | 195 | JR-TR | Tallahassee, Fla./North Florida Christian/West Virginia

Samari Reed | WR | 6-2 | 195 | FR-HS | Margate, Fla./Monarch

Sage Ryan | S | 5-11 | 200 | SR-TR | Lafayette, La./Lafayette Christian/LSU

Jordon Simmons | RB | 5-11 | 200 | SR-TR | Marietta, Ga./McEachern/Michigan State/Akron

De’Zhaun Stribling | WR | 6-2 | 200 | SR-TR | Kapolei, Hawaii/Kapolei/Oklahoma State

Delano Townsend | OL | 6-4 | 315 | SO-TR | Flint, Michigan/Hamady Community/UAB

Princewill Umanmielen | DE | 6-5 | 245 | JR-TR | Austin, Texas/Manor/Nebraska

Mason Waddle^ | OL | 6-0 | 250 | FR-HS | Tupelo, Texas/Tupelo

Harrison Wallace III | WR | 6-1 | 195 | SR-TR | Montgomery, Ala./Pike Road/Penn State

Bryson Walters^ | LB | 6-2 | 200 | FR-HS | Fulton, Miss./Itawamba Agricultural

Winston Watkins | WR | 5-10 | 185 | FR-HS | Fort Myers, Fla./Venice

PJ Wilkins | OL | 6-7 | 340 | SO-TR | Atlanta, Ga./Saint Frances/Charlotte

Da’Shawn Womack | DE | 6-5 | 260 | JR-TR | Baltimore, Md./St. Frances Academy/LSU

Jaden Yates | LB | 6-1 | 215 | JR-TR | Columbus, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln/Marshall

^ Non-scholarship

Information from Ole Miss Sports is included in this story.