Lane Kiffin’s Portal Mastery Pushes Ole Miss Up to No. 1 in Transfer Rankings
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin and his Rebels now own the No. 1-ranked transfer portal class in the nation, according to 247Sports Team Rankings, following commitments from USC transfers Jaxson Dart and Michael Trigg Saturday.
Reports: Jaxson Dart and Michael Trigg are Ole Miss Rebels! #PartyInTheSip https://t.co/R0b2iexmbv
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) January 29, 2022
Ole Miss currently has 9 transfer portal commits who will join the recruits who signed with Ole Miss in December, 2021. (Click here to see the list of December signees.)
The Rebels have also moved up the combined recruit-plus-transfer rankings, coming it at an overall ranking of No. 13 in the nation — and No. 5 in the SEC behind Alabama, A&M, Georgia, and LSU.
Rebels Get Commits from Five of the Top 50
Consider this, Lane Kiffin and his staff have now notched a star-studded portal class that includes five of the top 50 transfers nationally:
No. 3 Jaxson Dart (QB, USC),
No. 7 Zach Evans (RB, TCU)
No. 31 Michael Trigg (TE, USC)
No. 33 J.J. Pegues (DL, Auburn)
No. 50 Ladarius Tennison (S, Auburn)
Additionally, the Red and Blue have also expertly addressed areas of need via the portal, picking up No. 58 Troy Brown (LB, Central Michigan), No. 61 Mason Brooks (OT, Western Kentucky), No. 83 Isheem Young (S, Iowa State), and Jordan Watkins (WR, Louisville).
“Free Agency in College Football”
The NCAA now allows players to transfer one time without losing a year of eligibility. Under previous rules, players needed a hardship exemption or they would have to sit out a season.
After the early signing day in December, Kiffin made it clear the Rebels would have a heavy presence in the portal — a system he likened to the pros. “[National Signing Day is] basically your draft class, but then you have your free agent class,” Kiffin explained.
He was asked about the transfer portal and what the one-time “free” transfer means to schools.
“I don’t think people really say it this way, but let’s not make a mistake: we have free agency in college football. Free agency has been created in college football except you can’t lock people into a contract. This is a whole new thing to deal with.”
Lane Kiffin on the transfer portal
It looks as if Kiffin and his staff have sure learned quickly how to deal with it all.
Stay tuned for more news as Ole Miss is not done yet!
Lee Ann Herring-Olvedo
Lee Ann is the Director of Recruiting for The Rebel Walk. She is a veteran SEC sports journalist and NFL content writer. She is also the Sr. Editor for MESPORTS digital. Herring-Olvedo is a Brown University graduate who loves good cigars, good games, and a smooth glass of bourbon — not necessarily in that order.
