10 best moments in Ole Miss sports in 2025

As a calendar year, 2025 was a great time for Ole Miss sports fans. There were several moments of triumph and good vibes.

Across all sports, you had memories etched into brains spanning from football to men’s basketball to baseball and to women’s hoops. You even had individual accolades and accomplishments make marks on the emergence of athletic programs in Oxford, Miss.

OMSpirit took a look at the year that was and picked 10 moments we thought stood out the most.

Ole Miss football hosts a College Football Playoff game

After a tumultuous end to November and a crazy start to December, the Ole Miss Rebel football team put all of it aside and handled business. The Rebels received a No. 6 seed in the 2025-2026 College Football Playoff and hosted No. 11 Tulane.

Like the first meeting, it was dominant. Ole Miss won 41-10 and it was never in doubt. Fans got to kick back, bask in the glory of a home playoff game on a gorgeous North Mississippi December afternoon. Despite the blowout victory and moving on to the quarterfinals, I’d argue the best part was the atmosphere.

From start-to-finish, the game day operations people at Ole Miss painted their Mona Lisa. From fireworks to drone shows to fourth quarter sing-a-longs, it was immaculate.

Ole Miss women’s basketball making another Sweet 16 run

What Coach Yo has done in seven full seasons in Oxford is remarkable. After winning just 31 games the first three seasons, Yolett McPhee-McCuin and her staff have been dialed in. She’s finished with 22 or more wins every year since the 2021-2022 season.

Last year, the Rebs finished 22-11 but made a run in the NCAA Tournament. Yo’s Ole Miss dominated Ball State to kick things off before outlasting a scrappy No. 14-seed Baylor in a back-and-forth affair. Unfortunately, the run ended against No. 1-seed UCLA, but the impact the program has had on the university and the community is immeasurable.

This year, Yo’s Rebs are 13-2 and undefeated at home. Madison Scott was drafted 14th overall in the WNBA Draft following last year’s run and there are certainly more draft picks to come for Coach Yo.

Postseason baseball back at Swayze Field

Ole Miss hadn’t hosted a regional since 2021. Despite winning the national championship in 2022, postseason baseball had evaded Oxford, Miss., in 2023 and 2024. But, this year, Mike Bianco’s club got back to doing what it has done 11 times now.

Ole Miss didn’t win the regional – losing a wild two-game shootout with underdog Murray State. But, Bianco was able to get the program a No. 10 national seed after an impressive run in Hoover to the SEC Championship game.

You’re not hanging a banner for it, but springtime in Oxford and at Ole Miss is better with baseball.

Ole Miss men’s golf’s Michael La Sasso wins it all

The senior from Raleigh, N.C., became just the second player in school history to win the NCAA individual championship, winning by two strokes at the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships. He finished his season with the lowest scoring average in program history and was a PING First-Team All-American.

He was also a First Team All-SEC, PING All-Region Southeast Team, Haskins Award Finalist, Ben Hogan Award Semifinalist and a Jack Nicklaus Division I Player of the Year Finalist. La Sasso continues to show Ole Miss is a force to be reckoned with nationwide in matchplay.

Head coach Chris Malloy, the 2025 Golfweek Men’s Coach of the Year, continues to do a phenomenal job, year in and year out.

Ole Miss men’s hoops make triumphant return to Sweet 16

24 years later, Ole Miss can finally hang another Sweet 16 banner. Chris Beard and Co., put on a show in March. The Rebels had one of the better buzzer beater moments against Arkansas in the SEC Tournament, then turned around and blasted North Carolina in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

Then, the Rebels followed it up with a THROTTLING of 3-seed Iowa State. Sean Pedulla, Malik Dia, Jaemyn Brakefield, Matthew Murrell and Dre Davis made it a memorable run. The eventual 73-70 defeat at the hands of 2-seed Michigan State was gut-wrenching because of the oh-so-close first ever Elite 8.

But, it was a fun year and a sign it can very well be done at Ole Miss in the modern era.

2025 NFL Draft record set

Ole Miss football might have dropped the ball in 2024-2025, but the NFL Draft was a banner day for the Rebels. Eight total players were taken in the draft, a program record. Despite missing out on the CFP with arguably the 2nd-best roster in the country, the Rebels had more players selected than Alabama, Florida, LSU, Miami, Michigan and Notre Dame.

Only Ohio State, Georgia, Oregon and Texas had more taken. Not bad company. Walter Nolen was taken 16th overall by Arizona, Jaxson Dart was taken 25th overall by the Giants, Tre Harris was drafted 55th by the Chargers and Trey Amos was 61st overall by the Commanders.

Then, you had Princely Umanmielen taken by the Panthers with the 77th overall selection, Jordan Watkins in the 4th round to the 49ers, Pooh Paul in the 5th round by the Rams and JJ Pegues in the 6th round with the Raiders. What a year for the Ole Miss program and the Rebs in the pros.

Speaking of Jaxson Dart…

The former Ole Miss Rebel has been having a hell of a rookie season. Against playoff teams, Dart has thrown for 221.3 yards per game, completed 63 percent of his passes and has thrown 14 touchdowns to just one interception.

This year the former Rebel record-setting quarterback has put up monster numbers:

• 2,042 passing yds
• 13 passing touchdowns
• 5 interceptions
• 89.8 passer rating
• 455 rush yards
• 9 rushing touchdowns

Ole Miss endowment tops $1 Billion

Private support soared to a record $215.6 million in fiscal year 2025. This number shattered the record set in 2024 by a record by 28 percent. The “Now & Ever: The Campaign for Ole Miss” initiative has been the driving force behind the incredible achievement by the university and its leadership. It’s the largest fundraising effort in state history and the campaign surpassed its $1.5 billion goal more than a year ahead of schedule in June 2024.

On the proverbial playing field, Ole Miss athletics played a huge role here. Rebel sports donors provided $55.2 million. This record is significant because it did not include gifts to the Grove Collective.

Four individual national titles across three sports and four teams achieving or equaling their best NCAA finish will do these kinds of numbers, huh?

Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy’s Heisman-caliber season

No one knew who Trinidad Chambliss was this time last year. Well, I did because I am a sicko and I watched the then-Ferris State quarterback torch Valdosta State to win a national title. Fast forward to 2025 and he has been a huge part of the best football season in school history. In just 11 games, he has thrown for 3,298 yards and 19 touchdowns. He has also added 506 yards and eight more scores on the ground. Truly a storybook-type season for him.

Then you have Kewan Lacy. Most recruiting junkies knew him as the guy who spurned Ole Miss last minute and signed with Missouri. But fast forward a little bit and he’s a record-setting running back in a Rebel uniform. His 1,366 rushing yards is second all-time in a single season but his 21 rushing touchdowns has shattered Quinshon Judkins’ record of 16.

Both are special and are what make the Ole Miss CFP run so special. It would certainly be something if Pete Golding could get both to return in 2026.

Ole Miss softball finally gets to Oklahoma City

Jamie Trachsel has gotten the Rebels into a regional every year she’s been at Ole Miss. But, in 2025, the ceiling was busted out when Ole Miss finally got to the Women’s College World Series. The team finished 42-21 (most wins under Trachsel) and defeated a tough Arizona regional slate before ousting 4-seed Arkansas in three games. In Fayetteville.

The first ever appearance in Oklahoma City was unfortunately a quick one. Ole Miss lost a nail-biter in the opener, 1-0, to Texas Tech. NiJaree Canady was one of if not the best pitcher all season long and the Rebels had no answer for her. In the elimination game, Oregon defeated the Rebs in 10 innings, 6-5.

Despite the two-and-Q finish in the world series, the program is as strong as ever and looks to be ready to take the next step with consistent trips to the WCWS.