Moving on Up: Lane Kiffin and the Rebels are rising in the 2024 recruiting rankings
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin does not sugar coat anything —including what goes into recruiting nowadays. In fact, he frequently talks openly about things many coaches are reluctant to visit — NIL, ‘free agency,’ pay-for-play, and the effects of the portal on team chemistry and culture. What is becoming more clear to everyone right now, however, is that Kiffin — long referred to as the ‘portal king’ — is also quite adept at recruiting high school talent as well.
This past week on the recruiting trail is confirmation of that.
The Rebels have been slowly making their way up the 2024 team recruiting rankings, now moving into the top 25, as they currently sit squarely at No. 20 in the 247Sports Team Rankings.
If this upward trend is any indication, Coach Kiffin and company are setting up for a strong campaign heading into the home stretch of this cycle. Let’s take a look at what has predicated the Rebels’ rise.
The commitment of blue chip in-state defensive lineman Kam Franklin a little over a week ago on August 19 set the tone and served as an announcement the Rebels are going to take care of business in the Magnolia State.
VIDEO: Kamarion Franklin, 5-star defensive lineman and No. 1 player in MS, commits to Ole Miss! #SipMadeSipStayed #KamStayed
(Video credit: Kam Franklin Instagram) https://t.co/xDY2wWjfgZ
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) August 19, 2023
They then closed out this week, going two-for-two as they picked up pledges from a pair of 4-stars in ATH Noreel White, another elite in-state commit, followed by the top remaining uncommitted quarterback in the cycle in Florida native Trever Jackson.
🚨BREAKING: Ole Miss gets its man as talented 4-star ATH Noreel White commits to the Rebels! HUGE pickup for Lane Kiffin & Co. @MissKYUS2011 has more on the standout from Ocean Springs. #SipMadeSipStayed ⤵️ https://t.co/zfYGwOw0IR
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) August 25, 2023
BOOM! Four-star 2024 QB Trever Jackson chooses Ole Miss over A&M, OU, and UCLA. 🔥#ComeToTheSip @MissKYUS2011 has more on @Future_eraTrev’s commit! ⤵️ https://t.co/8zspyvBCcU
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) August 26, 2023
This strong push on the recruiting trail is helping build the program for the long haul and is showing that Coach Kiffin and his staff are able to attract not just the elite portal talent but also the top high school talent.
The Rebels now have 22 pledges in their 2024 class, and they are not done. The dynamics of this class demonstrate a few interesting things about the current state of Ole Miss recruiting. The Rebels are doing quite a bit of building from their own backyard, garnering three of the top five and four of the top ten recruits in the state of Mississippi. They are also finding talent to fit immediate needs, including hybrid players who can fill multiple roles.
Winning in the trenches
If defense wins championships, it frequently starts in the trenches. Ole Miss was already shaping up to have one of the most talked-about defensive units heading into the Pete Golding era, but with the addition of Kam Franklin, along with fellow commits Kamron Beavers, Jeffery Rush and William Echoles, Ole Miss could be on its way to having a future Top 5 defensive unit in the country.
Let’s call that the Pete Golding effect.
Quarterback U
When Demond Williams, the sole QB commit in the Rebels’ 2024 class, decided to re-open his commitment and ultimately chose to stay closer to home, it left many questioning if Ole Miss could build a deep quarterback room without heading to the portal.
If you haven’t learned by now, Coach Kiffin always has something brewing. After Williams’ decommit, it did not take too long for the Rebels to offer one of the nation’s top uncommitted QBs in Trever Jackson.
Jackson had already been making waves on the national scene and really started to turn heads during the Elite 11 Finals. But like many top prospects, he was also being recruited by other top Power 5 schools. But in the end, the “‘Sip factor” prevailed as his connection to Coach Kiffin was strong.
4-star QB Trever Jackson on committing to Ole Miss over A&M, OU and UCLA:
“It’s just that relationship I’ve got with Lane Kiffin. He’s known me since I was a kid. He’s just got that energy you want to play for and he has one of the most explosive offenses in college football.“ https://t.co/tCorTGVgvV
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) August 26, 2023
Flip to the ‘Sip
It wouldn’t be recruiting without a flip or two. Sometimes it’s the little things that ultimately make the difference. The persistence from the trifecta of Coach Kiffin, wide receivers coach Derrick Nix and coordinator of recruiting strategy Kelvin Bolden in remaining steadfast in the pursuit of Noreel White — in spite of his initial commitment to Arkansas — helped win the star wide receiver over in the end.
Ultimately, the Rebels not only flipped one of the most coveted athletes of 2024 in White, but they also kept home a top talent in their own backyard,
In the topsy-turvy age of NIL and all the other factors that drive the recruiting world, Lane Kiffin is finding success in Oxford. What makes his 2024 class elite is not just the talent — though that is certainly present — but also the fact that it is comprised of kids who have tremendous upside potential, even the ones who are highly-ranked blue chips.
Coach Golding recently said this about the players in Mississippi:
“When you get those guys with a high ceiling that aren’t there yet, they improve very quickly. I’ve always appreciated just south football, but Mississippi in general, because I think a lot of times you get a really raw athlete that loves football and is also appreciative… I think that mentality goes a long way and I think it carries over to defense, you know, that spot the ball mentality, put the ball down, we’re gonna play. I don’t care if it’s the parking lot, the playoffs, it doesn’t matter. It’s just who we are. I think for a lot of guys that’s ingrained in them in an early age in this state.”
Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding
The current recruits are all students of the game with a willingness to keep growing to get better while having fun doing what they love.
That sounds a lot like their future head coach.
Hotty Toddy!
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.
