No. 21 Florida is set to host No. 4 Ole Miss at 3:30 p.m. inside The Swamp on Saturday. As part of our weekly scouting report, Gator Country highlights five Rebels to watch.
QB Trinidad Chambliss #6
Trinidad Chambliss is the best quarterback in college football right now, and maybe the best player in the country. He’s currently the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Having already faced two ranked teams, Chambliss is completing over 70% of his passes for 924 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s also scored two rushing touchdowns.
Stopping Chambliss is an extremely difficult task because he’s good at everything. His arm strength is off the charts for a smaller quarterback, he’s got the mobility to escape the pocket and take off or throw on the run, he plays with great anticipation and sees the field at a high level. His pocket presence also stands out.
Those strengths make game planning for him nearly impossible. It would be easy to say, “Let’s just emphasize keeping him in the pocket to limit his running and playmaking ability outside the pocket.” Well, Ole Miss has good weapons around him that can get open. Chambliss is also incredibly accurate and has the arm strength to make tight-window throws.
Florida will need the coverage and pass rush to work together to limit Chambliss. Even then, it’s easier said than done.
RB Kewan Lacy #5
Not only does Ole Miss have one of the best quarterbacks in the country, but it has one of the best running backs in the country as well. Lacy is currently questionable for the game this weekend and listed as a game-time decision with a shoulder injury, so this scouting report may end up being irrelevant. But Florida is preparing as if he’s a full go on Saturday.
The 5’11”, 205-pound back broke out a year ago with 1,567 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns. He’s battled a few different injuries this season, which has limited his production, but he’s still run for 191 yards and four touchdowns through three games.
Lacy is a workhorse back and a really gifted runner between the tackles with elite acceleration and vision. He’s also got great contact balance and plus speed in the open field. He’s about as well-rounded as they come as a runner. He’s not much of a threat on third downs or in the passing game.
WR Deuce Alexander #1
My biggest question going into the season for Ole Miss was whether they had enough weapons at wide receiver. Deuce Alexander was a player I was unfamiliar with. Now I am.
The 6’0″, 180-pound receiver leads the SEC with 20 receptions for 295 yards and three touchdowns. He had 159 yards and two touchdowns in the Rebels’ season-opening victory over Louisville and most recently caught seven passes for 60 yards and a touchdown against LSU. He’s a legitimate SEC WR1.
Alexander has game-changing speed and is easily one of the fastest players in college football. He reportedly hit 23 MPH this offseason, and that speed shows up on tape. He ranked No. 49 on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List.
Florida has to know where Alexander is at all times on Saturday. If they lose him, there’s a good chance he’s walking into the end zone.
DT Will Echoles #52
Moving over to the defensive side of the ball, Ole Miss’ best player is Will Echoles, who currently grades as the No. 10 interior defender in college football, according to Pro Football Focus.
Echoles was a first-team All-SEC (AP) defensive tackle a season ago after recording 68 tackles, five sacks and five pass deflections. He’s also a projected first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
At 6’3″, 315 pounds, Echoles has the ability to stop the run and get after the quarterback. He leads Ole Miss with 10 pressures this season and holds an impressive 17.6% win rate.
The knock on Echoles at this point in his career has been his tackling. He missed 10 tackles last year and already has three missed tackles this season, but he’s a fluid athlete with excellent burst for a big man.
Edge Suntarine Perkins #4
You can pretty much take your pick of edge rushers at Ole Miss between Kam Franklin, Blake Purchase and Suntarine Perkins. I went with the latter, but Florida will see all of them on Saturday.
Ole Miss maybe isn’t getting the production out of the unit that it would have expected to this point, but Perkins is a guy who had 10.5 sacks two seasons ago. He was a freshman All-American in 2023 and a third-team All-SEC selection in 2024.
He’s undersized at 6’1″, 220 pounds but plays with speed. While they haven’t done it as much this season, Ole Miss can move Perkins around, play him in the slot and drop him into coverage. He’s a chess piece for the Rebels’ defense.