Ole Miss football 2026: Who will step up at wide receiver?
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The 2026 Ole Miss offense will include a revamped wide receiver room after last season’s explosive group moved on to the NFL.
There is plenty of talent returning led by Deuce Alexander who has world class speed, but the big question hanging out there this season is how Ole Miss replaces the production of De’Zhaun Stribling, Trey Wallace and Cayden Lee who each carried different skill sets.
Stribling really came on strong toward the end of the season and during the Rebels postseason run as a big bodied target who had no quit in his system. Wallace led the team in receptions and yards and also posed at times as a threat in the punt return game as well. Lee brought some crisp route running and ability to find seams in the offense tying Alexander for third on the team in receptions.
All total these three departures combined for 160 catches, 2,380 yards, and 13 touchdowns. Sheesh.
Now according to the official roster on the Ole Miss athletic website, there are 18 dadgum wide receivers waiting to catch passes this fall in Oxford. I don’t think half of them will see the field unless things just go terribly wrong in some form or fashion.
Let’s look at who most likely will be the top four pass catchers going into this season.
- Deuce Alexander, 6’0” 180 lbs. – Previously mentioned as the third highest pass catcher last season this is the senior season for Alexander and would point to him being a deep threat and number one WR come season opener. He will be sporting the number one which has become somewhat of a tradition for the lead WR at Ole Miss. He is preseason third team All SEC, and he seems primed to be the guy on this offense.
- Johntay Cook II, 5’11” 185 lbs. – A transfer from Syracuse and native of Texas he hauled in 45 receptions for more than 500 yards last season. He previously played for the University of Texas appearing in 20 games over two seasons and collecting 16 total catches for more than 250 yards. This is who I think can step in immediately and take over what Cayden Lee offered for the Rebels, and honestly he may be a step faster.
- Caleb Cunningham, 6’1” 215 lbs. – The first year in Oxford was not what many hoped it would be for one of the best players out of Mississippi. The jump from Choctaw County High School to the SEC may have been just a little too much, and year two potentially promises a meteoric rise for this young man.
- Traylon Ray, 6’2” 205 lbs. – This is a senior who grinded out special teams play last year after transferring in from West Virginia. He carried some solid production previously for the Mountaineers and may get more looks in 2026.
- Horatio Fields, 6’2” 205 lbs. – After being injured last season at Auburn, he transferred to Ole Miss amid all the coaching changes going on at both schools. He collected 12 catches for 106 yards and a touchdown last year for the Tigers, however, he posted 39 receptions for nearly 500 yards at Wake Forest in 2024. A former track and field athlete in high school in Georgia, Fields should be another guy who emerges as the season progresses or could shine in some of the non-conference games.
- Izaiah Hartrup, 5’11” 185 lbs. – A lot of experience on the college football field with four seasons at Southern Illinois and one season last year at Ole Miss where he appeared in all 15 games for the Rebels. He stuck around for another year for a reason, and I would like to think it is to get a little more involved in this offense. Hartrup had more than 1,300 receiving yards in his time at SIU along with 13 touchdowns while last season mainly worked on special teams as a return man while notching three catches for 21 yards.
So there’s six players right here who most likely are going to be trying to gel with Trinidad Chambliss and make an impact in John David Baker’s offense. Can this group replace what was lost from last season? I don’t the fall off will be dramatic, but the biggest issue has to be height in this list. There is no prototypical 6’4” 225 lbs. monster who can be relied upon to sustain drives when it will matter most in SEC play.
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