Lane Kiffin is doing what Lane Kiffin does.
The Ole Miss coach has his Rebels sitting at No. 15 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll after losing eight players to the NFL Draft. Most programs would be in rebuilding mode.
Kiffin? He’s talking about his deepest receiver group ever and a secondary that’s “in a really good spot.”
You’ve got to admire the confidence, even if you’ve seen this movie before.
“I think guys are doing really well. Excited about this team,” Kiffin said during fall camp. “Obviously we lost a lot of players, but at the same time we added a lot.”
That’s putting it mildly. Ole Miss landed the nation’s No. 2 transfer portal class, bringing in bodies at every level. The question isn’t whether they added talent—it’s whether all these new pieces fit together when the lights come on.
Portal Magic or Portal Madness?
Kiffin’s betting his season on the transfer portal again, and why wouldn’t he? It’s worked before. But this year feels different.
Eight NFL draft picks don’t walk out the door without leaving holes, no matter how many transfers you bring in.
Take the receiver room. De’Zhaun Stribling from Oklahoma State, Harrison Wallace from Penn State, Traylon Ray from West Virginia, that’s serious talent.
Kiffin thinks this group gives him something he’s never had at Ole Miss.
“I do think and have looked at every year we’ve been here, this is the deepest receiver group that would allow us, if we stay healthy, to truly rotate like you should in this system and be better in the fourth quarter of games,” Kiffin told reporters Aug. 7.
The secondary worried everyone in the spring. Kiffin admitted it.
“We were challenged a lot with secondary issues, and some guys were hurt,” he said. “So it’s much better now, deeper, more competition.”
Better? Sure. Good enough to handle what the SEC throws at them? We’ll find out.
Simmons Gets His Shot
Austin Simmons is your new starting quarterback. No pressure, kid—you’re just replacing a first-round NFL draft pick in Jaxson Dart.
Kiffin loves Simmons’ arm. Compared him to Tua Tagovailoa, which is either coach-speak or legitimate excitement.
“There’s no way you teach” what Simmons has naturally, according to Kiffin.
That’s encouraging, but arm talent doesn’t win SEC games by itself. Dart had plenty of arm talent too, plus experience Simmons doesn’t have. The sophomore inherits an offense that needs to produce immediately in a conference that doesn’t give quarterbacks time to figure things out.
Kiffin’s just good at making the best of constant roster turnover in an era where everyone’s constantly turning over their roster.
The Netflix Decision
Here’s something interesting. Kiffin turned down Netflix’s “SEC Football: Any Given Saturday” documentary. His reason? “I felt like it’s always just been a little phony.”
That’s refreshingly honest in a sport drowning in manufactured storylines. Kiffin chose substance over exposure, which sounds great until you remember this is college football in 2025.
Every little bit of attention matters for recruiting and NIL.
But maybe that’s the point. Maybe Kiffin’s learned something about what actually wins games versus what just generates headlines.
Or maybe he’s just tired of cameras following him around. Either way, it’s a decision that puts team chemistry ahead of marketing opportunities.
Reality Check Time
The Alphabet Coaches Poll has Ole Miss at No. 15. The AP Poll? No. 21. That gap tells you something about the uncertainty surrounding this rebuilt roster.
Nine SEC teams made the preseason top 25. Texas sits at No. 1. Georgia’s at No. 4. Alabama’s at No. 8. Ole Miss is fighting for scraps in the toughest conference in college football, and they’re doing it with a roster that’s never played together.
Fall camp reports sound positive, but they always do.
“There wasn’t a lot different initially, but now with pads, it becomes different,” Kiffin noted about full-contact practices. Translation: We’ll see what we really have when people start hitting.
The Fourth Quarter Test
Kiffin keeps talking about fourth-quarter performance. That receiver depth he’s so excited about? It’s supposed to help when legs get tired and games get decided late.
“That receiver depth allows you to play better in the fourth quarter,” he explained.
Ole Miss has had first-quarter leads before that evaporated when depth became an issue. If the portal additions fix that problem, this season could be special.
If they don’t, well, Kiffin will reload again next year. That’s the new reality of college football—constant rebuilding with the hope that eventually all the pieces align at the same time.
What’s Real, What’s Not
Ole Miss opens Aug. 30 against Georgia State. Easy start. The real tests come when SEC play begins and all those portal additions face the pressure of meaningful games.
Kiffin’s track record suggests he’ll have his team ready. The talent upgrade looks real on paper.
The question is whether this rebuilt roster can handle the grind of an SEC season that doesn’t care how good you look in fall camp.
The preseason rankings suggest cautious optimism. The transfer additions suggest ambition. The reality? We won’t know until the Rebels start playing teams that matter.
But if you’re betting on Kiffin figuring it out, the odds aren’t terrible. He’s done it before with less.
