The Ole Miss Rebels come into 2026 with a fresh sense of excitement and a winning expectation under head coach Pete Golding.He'll have an opportunity to coach his first full season in Oxford after suddenly taking over the program at the end of last year. Based on the team he's built, Golding should feel good about winning enough games to be considered for the College Football Playoff once again. There were a lot of roster changes this offseason, but Ole Miss has done a tremendous job of rebuilding one position group on the defense.The Rebels' Secondary Could Look SolidMississippi Rebels cornerback Jaylon Braxton. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectThe Rebels lost key contributors in the secondary from last year. Ricky Fletcher, TJ Banks, and Chris Graves Jr. hit the transfer portal, while Wydett Williams Jr. and Sage Ryan ran out of eligibility.It was going to take an impressive effort from Golding to rebuild that group, and he did just that. Four-star cornerback Jalyn Crawford transferred from Auburn. Safeties such as Edwin Joseph (Florida State), Joenel Aguero (Georgia), Sharif Denson (Florida), and Tony Mitchell (Mississippi State) came over to Oxford.Now, if Golding can find a way to put the pieces together, the Ole Miss secondary could be a formidable group. Not to mention, guys like Jaylon Braxton and Antonio Kite will be in the mix as well.The Rebels struggled in the secondary a season ago. They allowed the fifth-most passing yards per game in the SEC (198). It was an area that needed a refurbishment. So far, the new guys impressed the coaching staff in the spring.Per Wilson Engeriser of The Daily Mississippian, defensive coordinator Bryan Brown gave praise to Crawford. "Jay Crawford has done great, making a lot of pass breakups and understanding that at this place, you want to have some really good receivers as well, so iron sharpens iron, and they're going against some really good talent."Now, the new talent has to perform on the field. They'll see an early test against LSU's revamped wide receiver room, but fall camp will be a solid indicator of where these guys are at.The Rebels are expected to have an exciting defense with tremendous pass rushers up front in Suntarine Perkins and Will Echoles. However, if the secondary can't hold up its end, it could be a long season for Baker's unit. Golding did the work to rebuild the group, but now the results have to pay off.Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow