Football

Pair of Ole Miss defenders to enter NCAA transfer portal

Ole Miss has done a great job at retaining some of its most important players for the 2026 season, but some Rebels are entering the transfer portal.

Published

4 months ago

January 10, 2026

Taylor Hodges

Ole Miss Football during the game against Kentucky at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky. on September 6, 2025. | Ole Miss Athletics

Ole Miss hasn’t seen a lot of its current roster decide to enter the transfer portal. In fact, 17 Rebels have been publicly announced as returning in 2026.

But it hasn’t been a total one-way street for Ole Miss in the portal.

Six Rebels have decided to enter the transfer portal, including quarterback Austin Simmons who has signed with Missouri.

Simmons entering the transfer portal wasn’t a surprise to anyone after Trinidad Chambliss took the starting job after Simmons was hurt early in the season. What Chambliss did after has already been documented.

There’s a small chance Simmons considered waiting to decide what to do until Chambliss’ waiver for another year of eligibility was ruled on, but nobody knew how long that process would take. Simmons didn’t want to miss out on one of the best seats in college football’s version of musical chairs and was quickly linked to the Tigers.

ICYMI: Ole Miss hosting pair of QBs after Chambliss’ waiver denied

Reserve running back Domonique Thomas and offensive lineman PJ Wilkins had previously announced their decisions to enter the transfer portal.

After the Rebels’ CFP run ended, three players have been reported to be entering the transfer portal.

One of the most recent Rebel to enter the transfer portal was wide receiver Winston Watkins, a true freshman that had 26 catches for 373 yards and a touchdown. He also had five runs for 21 yards. Don’t be surprised if he ends up at LSU.

Another recent departure is linebacker Jaden Yates, according to 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz. Yates had 55 tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, .5 sacks in 15 games. He started the first nine games of the season, too.

Ole Miss starting linebacker Jaden Yates has entered the transfer portal, @chris_hummer and I have learned.

Finished this season with 55 tackles. Before Ole Miss, was a star at Marshall and had 115 tackles for Marshall in 2024. pic.twitter.com/bYAAORno9e

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 10, 2026

Another Rebel who is entering the transfer portal is cornerback Ricky Fletcher. Fletcher started three games this season for Ole Miss and played in all but one. He finished the season with 11 total tackles and two pass break-ups.

Ole Miss CB Ricky Fletcher plans to enter the transfer portal, his rep @CRogSuperAgent tells @On3sports.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound CB is a former South Alabama transfer. Has 54 career tackles, 14 PBUs, 1 TFL and a fumble recovery.https://t.co/Zohn2AetDd pic.twitter.com/Z4focIsEUJ

— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) January 10, 2026