Country music star and former University of Mississippi athlete Brett Young will return to Oxford this spring as the 2026 Commencement speaker.
The university announced Tuesday that Young, an award-winning singer and songwriter, will address graduates during the 173rd Convocation ceremony in the Grove on May 9. Before rising to country music fame, Young attended the university and spent one season as a pitcher for the Ole Miss Baseball team in 2000.
“My experience with true Southern hospitality at Ole Miss was more than something that made me feel welcome there,” Young said in a UM release. “It was a lesson in how to treat people in life and something that has stuck with me and will be taught and passed down to my family.”
Although Young did not graduate from UM, he has maintained ties to the campus. His 2019 music video for “Catch” was filmed in Oxford and featured scenes at Swayze Field, highlighting his connection to the university and his time as a Rebel athlete.
Though Young is most-known for his Diamond-certified single “In Case You Didn’t Know,” he holds six Billboard Country Airplay No. 1 hits and a win for New Male Vocalist of the Year at the 2018 Academy of Country Music Awards, marking a transition from student-athlete to nationally recognized artist.
Students reacted with excitement following the announcement.
“I think it’s really cool that they chose someone who actually has ties to Ole Miss,” senior integrated marketing communications major Shelby Wicker said. “It makes it feel more personal for students graduating.”
Chancellor Glenn Boyce is looking forward to Young’s return to Ole Miss for Commencement.
“We look forward to welcoming Brett Young back to campus to address the Class of 2026 for this meaningful, celebratory milestone in their lives,” Boyce said in the release. “His journey of perseverance from collegiate pitcher to renowned country music vocalist with a devoted following will resonate with our students as they head into the world to chart their own paths of success.”
