Ole Miss Football easily handled Charlotte 41-9 in its first home game of the 2026 season. Still, the Rebels have much to work on for the rest of the season. Here are letter grades for various players, coaches and position groups after the win over the 49ers on Saturday night.
Caleb Cunningham — A
247Sports ranked Cunningham as a five-star recruit. He made his first catch for the Rebels last year against The Citadel, a 19-yard reception, but was much more impactful this Saturday against the 49ers. He hauled in six receptions on seven targets for 65 yards.
Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss threw to Cunningham late in the first quarter on consecutive plays and tallied 19 yards. Cunningham picked up at least eight yards on all of his catches, including a 16-yard grab in the fourth quarter.
Cunningham could be a future great Ole Miss wide receiver. It was good to see him on the field in a decent sample size for the first time. Rebel fans will hopefully see much more of him in the years to come.
Jonathan Maldonado — A
The Ole Miss defensive line has not met expectations to begin the season, but Maldonado looked great against Charlotte. He totaled four tackles, including one for loss, against the 49ers.
Head coach Pete Golding spoke about Maldonado’s performance in a press conference on Monday.
“I thought Maldonado played a better game. He’s constantly getting better with every rep and every practice. He really flashed,” Golding said.
The Rebel defensive line needs a big playmaker, and Maldonado can be that. His 6-foot-6-inch, 250-pound frame gives him the potential to be elite. Among a talented unit that has gotten off to a slow start, Maldonado stood above the rest on Saturday.
John David Baker — B
New offensive coordinator Baker inherited a fiery, high-octane offense. Through two games this season, Rebel fans have not seen that offense from Baker. The unit has looked slower and less explosive. However, the Ole Miss offense has still put up 41 points in both of its first two games. The Rebels are still getting the job done; however, it is not always pretty.
Chambliss is off to a good start in the Baker offense. The Heisman hopeful has a 170 rating, a 71% completion percentage, 561 passing yards and five passing touchdowns. He has also tacked on 62 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.
The Rebels scored on their first possession against the 49ers with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that took under four and a half minutes. On the next drive, Ole Miss went three-and-out and lost six yards.
After defensive end Kam Franklin blocked a field goal attempt, the offense scored consecutive touchdowns in just under six minutes of possession. Kicker Lucas Carneiro scored two field goals to close out the half.
The Rebels punted on their first drive of the second half. They went three-and-out and lost 11 yards. Their second drive went much better: They went for 75 yards and scored seven in under two minutes.
The Ole Miss offense can put points on the board, but the Rebels have not passed the eye test this season. While Baker’s offense is flashy, it is also slow and inefficient at times.
Even if Baker’s offensive scheme really is just more bland than Rebel fans are used to, that is fine — as long as the group keeps scoring.
Linebackers — B
Luke Ferrelli led the team in tackles against Charlotte with seven. His partner Tah’j Butler was second with six, while Keaton Thomas had four and half a tackle for loss. The Rebel faithful are still waiting on a big, violent play from the linebackers, but the group did take a large leap from the second half of Week 1 to Week 2.
“Ferrelli played a better game. I think he’s getting better with every practice and every week as well,” Golding said. “Tah’j (Butler) has done some good things (as well).”
The Ole Miss linebacker room will be instrumental in stopping mobile quarterbacks this season. The group played well against the 49ers and showed it can meet expectations.
Offensive line — C
The Ole Miss offensive line allowed one sack against Charlotte, but Chambliss was pressured too much. Also, the Rebel run game was not firing on all cylinders, partly because of the offensive line. Charlotte outrushed Ole Miss 143 yards to 127.
The 49ers had seven tackles for loss. Some of those were beyond the offensive line’s control, but others occurred because Charlotte penetrated into the backfield.
Right tackle Connor Howes started over the injured Tommy Kinsler IV on Saturday. He performed well. The offensive line is getting into a rhythm, particularly on the right end.
“With Tommy (Kinsler) being out, it gave us the ability to see Connor (Howes) snap in and snap out,” Golding said. “(Carius Curne) did a good job. He’s continued to develop, but I think Connor (Howes) took the next step.”
As a whole, the unit is doing fine; however, it needs to reach the next level.
