Ole Miss is the new belle of the ball, crashing the college football party over the last year with its historic run through 2023 and a New Year’s Six victory over Penn State.
The momentum carried over into the offseason with another top transfer class and one of the best roster retention attempts in the country. All this has the Rebels poised to make a deep run at the program’s first College Football Playoff berth.
There are some coaches in the Southeastern Conference that recognize how Lane Kiffin got Ole Miss to this point ahead of his fifth year at the helm in Oxford. The ‘Portal King’ worked his magic once again, wit help from defensive coordinator Pete Golding, and made the Rebels a legitimate contender this Fall.
When asked by Athlon Sports for its annual college football preview issue one SEC assistant coach spoke bluntly about Kiffin and Ole Miss regarding the team’s transfer portal method.
“If they can make it to Atlanta and go to the Playoff, it will be the success story of the portal era,” the anonymous coach said. “I think it takes a certain kind of personality to manage a portal culture on your roster, and Lane Kiffin has it where someone like a Jimbo Fisher does not.”
Once again Kiffin and Fisher are intertwined in jabs that the former did not say this time. A coach on a team not named Ole Miss or Texas A&M said it on Kiffin’s behalf.
Still, this anonymous coach was cautious about the Rebels portal method while also noting they are not on the same level as top SEC programs in one area.
“Are they Georgia? Are they Texas? Probably not,” the coach continued. “They don’t have the kind of developmental system those elite programs have. The experiment they’re running is: Can you rent one?”
Similar to Lindy’s preview magazine the overall tone for Ole Miss is very positive from Athlon’s issue.
Just like they are in Lindy’s issue the Rebels are ranked No. 5 in Athlon’s preseason Top 25 and also projected to make the CFP and also hand around for a bit.
Though also like Lindy’s, Ole Miss is projected by Athlon to see its postseason run end in the second round. Athlon has the Rebels as the 7 Seed in the CFP and hosting 10 Seed Penn State in a first round meeting.
From there Athlon projects Ole Miss to advance to the Rose Bowl where it will play 2 Seed Ohio State, losing to the Buckeyes on New Year’s Day. The same postseason path Lindy’s projects, with Notre Dame replacing Penn State.
Receiver Tre Harris earned a Second Team Preseason All-American honor from Athlon while defensive end Walter Nolen earned a Third Team selection.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart continues to earn Heisman Trophy hype with Athlon putting him in its Teir 1 for Heisman contenders.
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