OXFORD, Miss. — If college football’s transfer portal were a county fair, Ole Miss football might be that kid with a cotton candy mustache trying to grab every prize from the ring toss.
Only this prize isn’t cotton candy. It’s Miami Hurricanes offensive lineman Tommy Kinsler, and a handful of SEC programs are knocking elbows in the hunt for him.
Tommy Kinsler IV, a 6-foot-6, 340-pound tackle who spent the last few seasons with the Hurricanes, has officially entered the NCAA Transfer Portal following Miami’s College Football Playoff run, and his services are suddenly among the most talked-about on the market.
Now, the Rebels, Arkansas Razorbacks and Auburn Tigers — along with some others quietly kicking tires — are trying to convince him that Oxford offers the best next stop on his football journey.
At this point, the portal pursuit looks a bit like a Southern buffet line: every hungry program thinks it deserves a second helping.
Ole Miss coaches, led by defensive guru Pete Golding, are clearly pointing their fork at Kinsler as a way to keep building on what’s already a big transfer class.
Kinsler, who played significant minutes for the Hurricanes over the past two seasons after redshirting in 2023, won’t lack options — and that’s just fine with him.
SEC Taste Test: Oxford vs. Fayetteville vs. Auburn
Word on the street is that the Rebels will host Kinsler in Oxford this weekend on an official visit, right after he took an official look at Auburn’s campus, according to multiple reports.
That’s where this transfer derby starts to look like an SEC tour schedule: Ole Miss hosting one week, Auburn showed him around earlier, and the Arkansas Razorbacks are very much in the mix with interest that hasn’t cooled.
It’s not that Arkansas or Auburn are surprising suitors — SEC teams are always eager to snag impact linemen — it’s that the Rebels are trying to keep pace with schools that have similar needs but slightly different pitches.
Arkansas might offer a shot inside a Power Five program closer to home. Auburn … well, y’all already know the Tigers’ recruiting machine never stops turning.
Meanwhile, Ole Miss has been aggressively building its portal haul, landing more than two dozen transfers this offseason. That class has become the backbone of the Rebels’ offseason roster overhaul — and Kinsler could be the next big piece.
Again, if this were a buffet, Ole Miss just loaded its plate with a little of everything: defensive tackles, linebackers, receivers, cornerbacks and more. A strong offensive tackle like Kinsler fits right next to the mashed potatoes.
His experience at Miami — appearing in 22 games the last two seasons — gives him versatility that coaches love.
He’s not a walk-on dreaming of snaps; he’s a lineman with measurable size, playing experience and enough eligibility left that programs see real value in bringing him aboard.
What Kinsler Brings to the Table
At 6-foot-6 and 340 pounds, Kinsler’s frame is the kind coaches sketch on their blackboards when they want to explain what a big tackle looks like.
He’s got positional versatility, too, with starts and game action under his belt across multiple Miami seasons.
Remember, he redshirted his first year and has played the past two seasons in double digits, primarily as a reserve but often seeing meaningful run.
That matters most when a coach tells him, “You’ll have a chance to play.”
For Ole Miss — which is trying to build a consistently competitive SEC roster — Kinsler represents a plug-and-play option to bolster a line that could use depth and talent on the edges.
But Arkansas and Auburn aren’t standing still. Both schools have legitimate pitches of their own, and it wouldn’t be shocking if Kinsler takes a little time here, makes a few more visits and then lets the portal clock run down before flipping the table and choosing a destination.
The Bottom Line
In the end, Kinsler’s decision will come down to a mix of scheme fit, playing opportunity, NIL incentives and the kind of comfort that makes a player feel like he’s more than just another name on a recruiting board.
Ole Miss, Florida, Auburn, Arkansas — they all want to be able to say “we did what it took to land him.”
That’s college football in the portal age with a little bit of patience, a little bit of persuasion, and a whole lot of pacing between campuses with free coffee and official visit swag.
Key Takeaways
- Ole Miss is among several SEC schools actively pursuing Miami transfer OT Tommy Kinsler.
- Kinsler, a 6-foot-6, 340-pound tackle, has two years of eligibility and has visited multiple campuses.
- His official visit to Oxford could be influential in deciding his next college home.
