OXFORD, Miss. — Back in his first season with Ole Miss in 2025, Deuce Alexander raved about ‘flying under the radar’ and encouraged defenses to continue to overlook him.
To be fair, at the time, Ole Miss did roster a 900-yard receiver in Harrison Wallace and the eventual 33rd overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft in De’Zhaun Stribling. Alongside Alexander as the next go-to targets were also Cayden Lee and Dae’Quan Wright.
With all of the talent Trinidad Chambliss was surrounded by, it wasn’t out of this world to miss Alexander’s track speed.
However, this season, it’s now impossible to miss.
Hungry for More
Entering his second season with the Rebels, Ole Miss looked for Alexander to emerge as Chambliss’ new primary target. Alexander has made the most of the opportunity, capitalizing on nearly every pass thrown his way. Through five games, the senior receiver is up to 503 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 32 receptions (15.7 YPC).
Although Alexander already looks like one of the top prospects at his position for the 2027 NFL Draft, the Peach State native is hungry to show more.
“It’s been great. Just knowing over the years I could have just been showcasing it, but I’m just glad this year I’m able to showcase my talents and just show the world and everybody what I can do. I’m not done, you haven’t seen anything yet,” Alexander said this week.
In his new role as the Rebels’ alpha receiver, Alexander was going to have to do it with a new offensive coordinator. So far, John David Baker has played into Alexander’s strengths.
“(Baker) just likes to move me around a lot more. Just to let me showcase my speed. Even last game, letting me get some touches out of the backfield,” Alexander explained. “Things like that. Just letting me showcase the things I can do. It just fits me more.”
Alexander has been Ole Miss’ most explosive offensive weapon this season up to this point, with most of his scores coming from at least 35 yards out on catch and runs. Two of Alexander’s scores have come on 62-yard touchdowns and he added another explosive scoring play against Vanderbilt in Week 6, leaving the Commodores in the dust for another 39-yard touchdown.
Alexander told reporters this week that he’s essentially been the fastest player on every team he’s ever played for. The touchdown against Vanderbilt was more of the same.
“Just trusting my speed and just trusting Trinidad to put it in a spot for me to catch and run,” Alexander said of his Week 6 score. We worked that during practice, so I was comfortable running through the middle without knowing I’m not going to be able to take a hit and can out-run everybody. Just preparation helped me score that touchdown.”
Alexander’s touchdown put Ole Miss up 28-3 late during the second quarter of the Rebels’ eventual, 52-17, win over Vanderbilt.
It was an overall performance that the Rebels needed ‘bad’ after having to wait to rebound from their first loss of the season. It wasn’t about the win, but more about how it happened.
“We needed it bad,” Alexander said of the game. “After taking the tough loss we had to wait two weeks to play another game, so everybody was just anxious and ready to go. Just keeping our focus there during the week and just (having) next game mentality and just being able to go out there to put on a full game. We still haven’t put a full game together, so excited to see that coming forward.
“Just taking it one play at a time. Just playing as a whole, like as a group. Some games it’d be defense, some games it’d be offense, some games it’d be special teams — just putting it all together and just coming as one. That’d help us finish out a game.”
This week, Ole Miss is tasked to defend its home field against a hot Missouri team in a contest that will feel similar to the magnitude of a College Football Playoff game.
Stakes aside, Alexander is looking forward to sharing the stage with familiar faces he saw on a daily basis at the Manning Center just last season.
“It’s going to be great. It’s going to be fun competing against those guys. Some guys I was around every day here,” Alexander said of the looming return of three former Ole Miss starters. “Just being able to see them on the field doing their thing and even at a different school, it’s just a great feeling to be on the field with them.”
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