Ole Miss Coach Lane Kiffin to watch Manning’s Isidore Newman team in the playoffs

OXFORD, Miss. — While much of the college football world remains focused on running their own analytics to see if Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin might be headed to Miami, I bet the only “M” on the coach’s mind this evening, outside of Mississippi, is Manning.

Coach Kiffin’s Rebels are coming off a big win over Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies, 29-19, last Saturday in the Vaught — a win that has put Ole Miss in a good spot to finish 10-2 in the Top 10 with a New Years’ Six bowl bid possible.

In a little less than two years, Kiffin has mustered one heck of a Mississippi Revival.

The Rebels are undoubtedly focused on finishing their home play 7-0 this year, with the final home game against Vandy set for about 24 hours from now.

However, you can bet Coach Kiffin and staff are also focused on the recruits from coast-to-coast who are in post-season play. With less than a month until the early signing period, sealing the deal for the 2022 class — and continuing to lay the foundation for 2023 — is vital.

The bottom line is that recruiting comes down to building relationships. If you want to bring in the best talent, you have to build personal relationships from the jump, and do it better than the next program and staff are doing.

Watching Arch

On Friday night, the Lane Train is heading down to the Bayou to Baton Rouge to watch Isidore Newman vs. Episcopal in the DIII quarterfinals of the Louisiana state playoffs. Yes, Newman, the home of a certain player named Arch Manning.

Feels like a great night to go watch 2 great high school programs @EHSBRAthletics vs @NewmanAthletes #GoKnights #GoGreenies

— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) November 19, 2021

Manning remains the No.1 overall athlete and No. 1 quarterback in the 2023 class across all the major recruiting sites, including 247Sports and On3.

Tonight could be the start of a long-standing Manning dream of leading the Newman Greenies to a state championship. While he hasn’t been too vocal about his recruitment, Arch sure has made it known how important it is for him to have the opportunity to make history with his team by bringing home that state title.

The fifth-seed Greenies, who are riding high on a two-game winning streak after a rough patch of losing two in a row, will go head-to-head with an undefeated Episcopal team.

Arch Manning and the Newman Greenies have arrived at @EpiscopalBR. @WAFB pic.twitter.com/NNE4cA93CY

— Jacques Doucet (@JacquesDoucet) November 19, 2021

The Newman-Episcopal winner likely will face reigning Division III champion Lafayette Christian (8-1) on the road in the semifinal round. No. 3 St. Charles (8-0) is on the other half of the Division III bracket with a quarterfinal against No. 6 Dunham (7-3). The state championship is set for Dec. 4 at Tulane’s Yulman Stadium.

Coach Kiffin is not the first Power 5 coach to make it down to catch Arch in action. Texas’ Steve Sarkisian and Georgia’s Kirby Smart have both made trips to see Manning.

This recruitment is unique on so many levels — and the analytics probably can’t even predict what will happen — so stay tuned! We’ll keep you posted on the latest.