Princewill Umanmielen’s Ole Miss-to-LSU transfer helps define sizzling SEC fued

Contracts can lead to major drama in today’s college football landscape.

This has proven to be the case for Ole Miss several times during this cycle. While the situation with linebacker Luke Ferrelli has drawn the most attention as Clemson’s coach Dabo Swinney accused rebels of tampering To turn around its transfer linebacker, Ole Miss also faced a similar situation with standout passer Princewill Umanmielen.

The two months since Lane Kiffin left Oxford for Baton Rouge have been some of the craziest in recent college football history.

College football’s first-year coaches’ patience meter: How Lane Kiffin and James Franklin’s debuts will be judged

Brad Crawford

Not only did the Rebels manage to advance to the College Football Playoff semifinals, but they were trying to retain their roster — with LSU lobbying for several of their top players — but also recruiting in the portal and securing a waiver for star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.

One thing Ole Miss felt it accomplished during this chaotic period was retaining Umanmielen.

Umanmielen’s turnaround

The All-SEC rusher finished the 2025 season with nine sacks and a team-high 13 tackles for loss. The Rebels rewarded him with a new contract, which sources say was signed by Umanmielen.

But just two days before the portal closed, Umanmielen announced his intention to enter the transfer portal.

There was an obvious team to beat at the time he did it – LSU.

Ole Miss knew it. LSU knew it. The question was how quickly Umanmielen would commit.

There was only one problem for Umanmielen: the Rebels weren’t willing to enter him into the transfer portal.

Umanmielen had just signed a contract with Ole Miss. The Rebels planned to challenge his entry, arguing that he was not authorized to use the portal after resigning under the terms of his agreement. It turned into a star-studded contest for a few days. Ole Miss wanted to maintain its roster and not take a major hit via LSU, a team made up primarily of former Rebels coaches and staff.

There was also a mid-six-figure buyout that had to be calculated if Umanmielen was to be moved elsewhere.

Ultimately, Ole Miss got Umanmielen into the portal.

Umanmielen’s name appeared on the portal on January 21. He signed with the Tigers a few hours later.

This is an example of the madness of the portal cycle and the falsifications that are happening in the background. The Rebels were able to win some major retention battles with LSU, including superstar running back Kewan Lacy, but they weren’t able to retain everyone.

Umanmielen is now a preseason All-American candidate for the Tigers and is part of what will be a rich and controversial tapestry that ties LSU and Ole Miss ahead of a Sept. 19 matchup in Oxford later this season.