With Family Close and Foundation Set, Lane Kiffin Leads Ole Miss into 2025

OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss appeared at the 2025 SEC Football Media Days in Atlanta last week, and head coach Lane Kiffin emphasized growth and continuity as the Rebels prepare for yet another season with expectations high in Oxford. With Kiffin entering his sixth year in Oxford, the Rebels’ message was clear: they’re not just rebuilding—they’re aiming to contend.

Kiffin Stresses Program Stability

In a media cycle increasingly dominated by coaching turnover and player transfers, Kiffin continues to emphasize the rare stability his program enjoys—both on the sideline and in his personal life. On the field, he returns his same coordinators, OC Charlie Weis, Jr. and DC Pete Golding.

Lane Kiffin on coaching stability in Oxford

At Media Days, Kiffin also talked about what it means to him to have so many of his family members in Oxford, especially given the recent passing of both his mother and father in the last year.

“It’s really been an amazing five years personally and professionally there in Oxford and I reflect on that like life, with so many good things of gains and losses,” he began.

Lane Kiffin on family in Oxford

His reference to a growing family presence in Oxford, including 10 Kiffins now living in town, doubled as a metaphor for the program’s rootedness. Kiffin, often characterized by wit and sarcasm at previous Media Days, struck a more reflective tone, pointing to a maturing football program under his watch.

“You know, where I think of our program, where we are, and in the last four seasons there since COVID, three of those four seasons with top 12 finishes,” Kiffin explained. “I believe in the last 55 years of Ole Miss there has been four top 12 finishes. So three of those to be in the last four years, one in the previous 51 years, says a lot about what we’ve been able to do through the staff, through the players, through everybody involved, especially the leadership above me.”

The New Normal: Roster Turnover and Strategic Depth

Discussing roster management, Kiffin speaks candidly about the challenges of modern college football, particularly the revolving door created by the transfer portal.

“I just think that we basically restart each of these last few years because the turnover is so much in college football,” he said. “You should be able to build within your program a lot of returning players. It’s just the way the system is now; hopefully that gets fixed.”

While Ole Miss has benefited from transfer portal additions, Kiffin reiterated that success comes from cohesion and internal development—two traits he believes are finally taking root in Oxford.

“Now that we’ve done that, we’ve seen that impact,” he added. “Whether that’s transfers coming in or high school kids… they have been able to see that.”

Four Rebels Earn Preseason All-SEC Recognition

The league’s preseason All-SEC selections reflected the talent Kiffin has attracted and developed:

· Lucas Carneiro (K) – Second-team kicker with a consistent leg and strong range.

· Suntarine Perkins (LB) – Second-team defender who emerged as a key pass rusher in 2024.

· Zxavian Harris (DL) – Third-team pick, expected to anchor the interior line.

· Princewill Umanmielen (LB) – A Nebraska transfer, third-team selection, already earning praise for his impact.

The Rebels were also predicted to finish seventh in the SEC preseason media poll—a respectable footing in a daunting SEC, after losing so many players from the 2024 team to the NFL.

Defensive Outlook: Physical Identity, Deeper Talent

Coordinator Pete Golding’s unit will look to build on a strong 2024 campaign, with key contributors like Harris, Perkins, and Umanmielen forming the spine of a deep front seven. LSU transfer Da’Shawn Womack is also expected to bring SEC-caliber depth to the edge.

Although the defense lost multiple starters to the NFL, the returning group pairs experience with a system that Golding has now fully installed. Kiffin credited his staff with creating a structure that fosters both performance and development, especially on the defensive side.

A CEO Approach in the New SEC

Kiffin also used his podium time at Media Days to praise coaching peers who have adapted well to the changing landscape of NIL, the transfer portal, and expanded playoff implications.

“I think those are the two premier programs and premier coaches in college football,” he said, referring to Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Texas’ Steve Sarkisian. “They really run their programs truly as a CEO and are really creative in their ideas and know how to navigate through this world we’re in now.”

The comment underscored Kiffin’s evolution from offensive tactician to program builder—a shift reflected in Ole Miss’ recruiting, culture, and retention.

Looking Ahead: The Standard Has Changed

The tone for Ole Miss this year seems less about hype and more about continuing momentum. With SEC expansion reshaping schedules and expectations, the Rebels have positioned themselves as a team capable of navigating both the challenge and the chaos.

Ole Miss will face Georgia, LSU, Florida, and South Carolina in 2025—all of which are games that could serve as benchmarks for measuring just how far this team can go in 2025. And fortunately for the Rebels, each of those games with the exception of Georgia will be played in Oxford.

Final Thoughts

Ole Miss football enters 2025 as a team with a clear identity—grounded in continuity, led by a maturing staff, and shaped by a coach who sees the bigger picture.

With expectations elevated and the SEC more competitive than ever, Kiffin’s Rebels are preparing to make their case where it counts—on the field. After a respectable, albeit disappointing, 2024 campaign that saw the Rebels begin with the highest expectations of any Ole Miss football team in more than a half century only to miss the college football playoffs, Kiffin and Co. are fully prepared and are expecting to deliver that long-awaited breakthrough to fans in Oxford.