Landon Barnes Shining During Ole Miss Spring Practice

New Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding isn’t new to having really good defensive line play. Before his time in Oxford, he was the defensive coordinator at Alabama. During that time, he got to coach guys like Quinnen Williams and Will Anderson, to name a few. Now, in his short time as a Rebel, he’s had guys like Walter Nolen and Jared Ivey. And if spring practice is any indication, he may have another future star in defensive end, Landon Barnes.

Part of his success with these defenders is the aggressive scheme he plays with. Utilizing guys who are fast and aggressive, Golding’s defenses typically always end up with a sizable number of sacks and tackles for loss. However, part of that success is also finding guys with raw talent and having the ability to develop them. With time learning under Golding, Barnes is showing flashes of being a defender that could be a major problem for opposing offenses.

So who is Barnes, and what type of impact can Ole Miss fans expect to see from him this year?

Can Landon Barnes Become a Household Name?

Barnes’ High School Career

Barnes is a freshman out of Duncanville High School in Texas. Consistently viewed as one of the best high school programs in the nation, coming from Duncanville is a good sign right from the jump. During his varsity career as a Panther, he managed 82 total tackles, with 33.5 tackles for loss, and 13 sacks. Last year, as a senior, he had 23.5 of those tackles for loss, to go along with 10.5 sacks. Against really good competition, those stand out as solid numbers in high school.

All of that was good enough to be named a four-star recruit by 247Sports, including being ranked 116th overall in their 2026 class. Despite being offered by schools such as Texas, LSU, and Ohio State, Barnes committed to Ole Miss in late June of 2025. He stuck with his commitment, signing with the Rebels on National Signing Day.

Early Days of Spring Practice

Despite only being a Rebel for a short time, Barnes is making waves during the early days of spring practice. What stands out most is his energy and his speed. Standing at 6′-4″ and roughly 250 pounds, he looks and plays extremely similar to another name Ole Miss fans know well, Princely Umanmielen. Despite only spending one year in Oxford after transferring from Florida, Umanmielen became a fan favorite for Rebel fans, recording 13.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks in his one season at Ole Miss.

Watching Barnes, you get a similar feel. He plays full speed on every snap. And his athleticism will never be in question. He’s fast enough to get around the end when pressuring the quarterback. But his length should also give him the chance to knock down passes on the inside.

If there is one concern, it would be his strength. Only being a freshman, there’s still plenty of time for him to get stronger. However, right now, it appears as if he may lack the strength to consistently be viewed as an adequate run stopper, especially on inside runs where strength plays a major role.

Barnes’ Expected Role as a Freshman?

As a freshman, one big question is how significant a role Barnes is going to have within the defense. One factor to answer that question is how much Ole Miss plans to rotate their defensive guys on the edge. It’s a position that they are relatively loaded at, with Blake Purchase and Jonathan Maldonado transferring in from Oregon and Nevada, respectively. The Rebels also return Kam Franklin, who could see time at the edge, as well. This could potentially limit the number of snaps Barnes is able to see this season.

However, with the aggressive nature of a Golding defense, there is a good chance it could be a pretty deep rotation. Given the fact that Barnes seemingly has a prototypical body type for a Golding edge rusher, if he has success with limited early snaps, we could expect to see him more later in the season.

Starting the year, expect Barnes and fellow freshman defensive end Carmelow Reed to be rotational pieces for the Rebels’ defensive line. But by the midpoint in the season, there’s a decent chance Barnes will be playing well enough to become a more prominent piece of the puzzle for Ole Miss.

If Spring practice is any indication, he’s certainly playing like a guy ready for his shot. There’s no question he’s going to get that opportunity. The only question is how soon it will be.