OXFORD — Ole Miss football has a plan to recover from losing defensive end Princewill Umanmielen to LSU and former Rebels coach Lane Kiffin. There's a lot to account for. Umanmielen led Ole Miss with nine sacks in 2025, which is four more than anyone else on the roster had. He transferred after signing a revenue-sharing agreement to stay for 2026. Ole Miss filed lawsuits against Umanmielen and offensive lineman Devin Harper, seeking almost $1 million between the two for unreceived payments. Ole Miss defensive coordinator Bryan Brown, who was promoted by new coach Pete Golding for the 2026 season, said the key to replacing Umanmielen is not a one-to-one swap. "I think just doing it as a group," Brown said Aug. 18. "I think the whole front, the second-level guys if we end up blitzing those guys as well. The edges. But I think up front we're doing it as a group, and it's really good to see so far that we have multiple guys stepping up and doing their main thing." Brown pointed out transfer defensive end Blake Purchase (Oregon) and Jonathan Maldonado (Nevada) as players he's relying on. Purchase had two sacks in 2025. Maldonado had five. Suntarine Perkins is one of the second-level players who Ole Miss likes to blitz. He is listed as a linebacker but can come down to the line of scrimmage on pass rush assignments. He had 4.5 sacks in 2025, just behind returners Kam Franklin and Will Echoles (five).
Will Echoles, Luke Ferrelli, Keaton Thomas standing out as vocal leaders In the spring, Brown said one of his goals was to equip players to be vocal leaders. He's starting to see that with one of the best players on the team. "I think Will Echoles has done a tremendous job of trying to be a vocal leader, for sure," Brown said of the projected 2027 first-round NFL draft pick. "He's a quiet guy in general, but he's shown a little bit more vocal leadership." Brown said transfer linebackers Keaton Thomas (Baylor) and Luke Ferrelli (California) have also earned respect as vocal leaders. Thomas has drawn rave reviews throughout the offseason. He led Baylor with 105 total tackles in 2025. Ferrelli was No. 2 for Cal with 91 tackles last season. His transfer situation got messy when Clemson coach Dabo Swinney accused Ole Miss of tampering with Ferrelli, who had transferred to Clemson. The NCAA is investigating but has not announced a decision. "It's great to have guys like those who have been around the game and done some really good things in this league or wherever they came from," Brown said. Why Suntarine Perkins earned Chucky Mullins Award Brown heartily agrees with Golding's choice for the 2026 Chucky Mullins Courage Award. On Aug. 8, Perkins was named as the recipient for the highest individual honor Ole Miss awards. The Chucky Mullins Award is given each year to an upperclassman on defense who exhibits courage, leadership, perseverance and determination. It honors Mullins, a former Ole Miss football defender who was paralyzed while making a tackle in a 1989 homecoming game against Vanderbilt. He died in 1991 due to complications from the injury. Perkins is a senior from Raleigh. He has played in all 41 games Ole Miss has played since his freshman season in 2023. "Perk, he embodies everything that Chucky meant, and all the things that Chucky stood for," Brown said. "That's Suntarine Perkins. 'Get,' as we call him. To have a guy from Mississippi that's doing things the right way, going about his business on and off the football field the right way, it's nobody more deserving than Suntarine to get the award. I'm glad that he's still here and on the squad." Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_ This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss football's defensive plan after sack leader Princewill Umanmielen left for LSU