Following a runoff election, Jack Turrentine was announced as Mr. Ole Miss 2026 on Thursday, Oct. 8.
Turrentine, a senior public policy leadership and rhetoric double major from Knoxville, Tenn., has been heavily involved on campus since his freshman year. However, he did not always plan to run for Mr. Ole Miss or know what platform he would run on. That decision came about recently.
“It was something that I had thought about for a long time and I kind of went back and forth (on),” Turrentine said. “A couple months later, I heard about the Holman Fund. At that point, I was like, ‘I’m going to run for Mr. Ole Miss, so… I might as well run for Mr. Ole Miss with this organization.’”
What began as an immediate sense of belonging has grown into a lasting appreciation for the Ole Miss community. Turrentine said the support he has received from fellow students motivates him to give back to the university.
“When I stepped foot on campus my junior year of high school, I closed my eyes and saw myself as a student here,” Turrentine said. “It felt like a puzzle with every piece falling to make the university an even better fit in my life.”
For Turrentine, that sense of belonging extended beyond his first impression of campus. The community he found at Ole Miss continues to shape his decisions and inspires him to give back to the university.
“The Ole Miss community means everything to me,” Turrentine said. “The love and care the student body has shown me and so many of our peers drives me in every decision I make. I wake up every morning with the goal of giving as much of myself back to this campus as I physically can.”
For Turrentine, giving back is rooted in the lasting impact Ole Miss has made on his life and his belief that the university’s community extends far beyond graduation.
“I hope that one day I’ll be able to give back as much as this university has given to me, (with) an understanding that that is not possible,” Turrentine said.
“I hope that one day I’ll be able to give back as much as this university has given to me, (with) an understanding that that is not possible,” Turrentine said. “The University of Mississippi is one of the few places in America where community doesn’t last four years but for the rest of your life.”
The Christopher C. Holman Memorial Endowment for Student Emergencies is a campus fund that helps students pay for expenses during unexpected crises. A key point of Turrentine’s campaign was to draw attention to, and fundraise for, the Holman Fund.
“My goal was just to go to every (Greek) house and ask them to donate to the Holman Fund,” Turrentine said. “I literally told them that I would appreciate their vote and it would be cool, but what would mean a million times more to the university, and would mean more to me, would be (donating) two dollars for the Holman Fund.”
While campaigning, Turrentine focused on tabling and making true connections with the campus community.
“I would say my focus was definitely face-to-face communication,” Turrentine said. “I think that’s what makes people come back and vote.”
Turrentine wants to use his new title to bring more attention to charitable causes at the university.
“I really want to put the focus on philanthropy,” Turrentine said. “I think that there’s so many great philanthropies at Ole Miss that need so much help, but they don’t ever get talked about.”
Turrentine said that he also hopes to join with this year’s Miss Ole Miss, Julia Case, to bring more attention to these philanthropic causes moving forward.
“I really want to put a focus on having those face-to-face conversations and having me and Julia (Case) travel around campus and try to hit as many different groups of students and talk about those different things,” Turrentine said.
Turrentine said that without the support of the people around him, he would not have achieved the position of Mr. Ole Miss.
“It was the support of all the people around me who just took the time to call me on Tuesday night or on Wednesday, just to talk to me and tell me that it was going to be OK to keep going,” Turrentine said. “The people … showed up for me when we were at the table for 11 hours on Tuesday, just to stay with me.”
