Just as Pete Golding’s Rebels are prepping to face the No. 18-ranked Texas Longhorns, the head coach heard the worst news he could think of about his quarterback. Word is, Ole Miss backup quarterback Anthony “AJ” Maddox was arrested early Tuesday morning on a simple domestic violence charge.

The 21-year-old SEC football player was booked into custody at the Lafayette County Detention Center on October 20, 2026, at precisely 6:41 a.m. CT, as per reports.

Local jail records indicate that no bond has been set for his release, meaning the junior signal-caller remains behind bars while the legal process gets underway.

The actual details from the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department show that this wasn’t just a minor argument. According to official arrest records, Maddox is accused of trying to use “physical menace” to intentionally put a domestic victim in immediate fear of serious physical injury.

The police are alleging that he used physical force or threatening behavior to make someone feel like they were about to be seriously hurt.

When the local media reached out to the university to see what was going on, the athletic department went completely silent. Ole Miss did comment on the situation.

Truth be told, this arrest is a massive headache for head coach Golding because it highlights a much bigger problem with team discipline. Maddox is actually the sixth Ole Miss football player to get into legal trouble since Golding took over the program.

• December 2o25, cornerback Dante Core was arrested for possession of substances.
• In April 2026, the Arkansas State Police arrested Carius Curne on six charges.
• In May, quarterback Rees Wise and running back Damarius Yates got into trouble with DUI.
• Ole Miss freshman defensive lineman Carmelow Reed was arrested in July 2026 and faced two charges: controlled substance weighing between 10 and 30 grams, and speeding.

The Rebels’ rap sheet over the last couple of years includes players getting pulled over for DUIs, drug possession charges, and state police arrests.

Before this legal mess, Maddox was a pretty well-known name in Mississippi high school football. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound junior grew up in Hattiesburg and was a highly rated four-star recruit coming out of Oak Grove High School, where he actually led his team to a state championship.

He chose to stay in-state and play for the Rebels back in 2024, but his college career hasn’t quite taken off on the field the way he probably hoped it would.

Looking at his actual stats, Maddox hasn’t really been a major factor on game days for Ole Miss.

He hasn’t played a single snap during this 2026 season, and his entire career production consists of just two brief appearances back in 2025. Later, he spent the entire offseason fighting for a backup role, but things didn’t go his way.

There’s a good chance he won’t be there next season!

Right now, Maddox is completely buried at the bottom of the quarterback room. He is currently sitting at No. 4 on the depth chart behind Trinidad Chambliss, Deuce Knight, and LSU transfer Walker Howard.

Plus, Golding had confirmed it was a developmental phase for Maddox.

“I think that developmental phase not only for Maddox, but for Deuce as well, is really important in that room,” Golding said in April. “Really like the balance there from an athletic standpoint and then obviously from an experience standpoint. More importantly, the maturity of how to do it, how to lead, and how to be a leader for this team.”

So, the player might not be worth all the hassle for the program.

Since Maddox is so far down the line, his absence isn’t going to break the offense, but it will damage the reputation of the university and, more importantly, perhaps the trust in the locker room!

Anyway, he was going to hit the transfer portal post this season. But with these new legal developments, his plans will be halted.

Safe to say, Maddox obviously will not be traveling with the team to Austin, so the coaching staff is forcing everyone to block out the off-field distraction and focus entirely on the game.

While the team tries to handle business on the field, Maddox will be staying behind in Oxford to deal with a very serious legal situation that could jeopardize his football future.