Lane Kiffin keeps climbing. Ole Miss football hasn't hit its ceiling | Toppmeyer
Life is a peach for the Ole Miss Rebels.
They trounced Penn State on Saturday in Atlanta for their first bowl victory since the 2020 season. Their 11 wins are a single-season program record. Lane Kiffin, their one-time vagabond coach, is growing roots in Oxford.
And the best part? The Rebels’ ceiling could be higher in 2024. The nation’s No. 1-ranked transfer class is inbound. They’ll pair with many returning stars from this 38-23 Peach Bowl romp of the Nittany Lions.
Kiffin might need to ice his right arm after all the fist-pumping he did while the Rebels shredded the nation's No. 1-ranked defense.
This team will finish ranked in the top 10. Next year’s team will open ranked in the top 10.
"To win the most games in the history of the school and to have so many pieces already announcing that they're coming back, … I think it's a really special time," Kiffin said.
Now, just imagine if Saturday’s win had been a playoff game.
The 2024 Rebels will feature Kiffin’s best collection of talent. Couple that with a schedule that’s void of Alabama, and Ole Miss hosting a first-round playoff game is a rational goal.
Kiffin sounded a little deflated seven weeks ago – understandably so. Georgia had just run over the Rebels in Athens, eliminating Ole Miss’ longshot playoff hopes. The Rebels didn’t just lose. They weren’t competitive in a 52-17 loss.
“We got to recruit at a higher level,” Kiffin said softly that night. “I'm not blaming people. We got to coach better, but … we've signed one five star. (Georgia) signed 24. That does kind of show up at some point.”
Ole Miss, though, isn’t going to suddenly start out-recruiting Georgia. The Bulldogs are a recruiting giant, located in one of the most talent-rich states.
Kiffin knows this, and he’s countered by becoming the nation’s best coach at evaluating and attracting transfer talent.
Consider some of the Peach Bowl standouts: Jaxson Dart (379 yards passing), Caden Prieskorn (136 yards receiving), Tre Harris (134 yards receiving), Jared Ivey (two tackles for loss).
All are transfers. The latter three announced they’re returning next year. Dart is eligible to return, too. Talented reinforcements who are proven Power Five performers are on the way.
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For years, we’ve wondered what Kiffin might achieve if he found a school that suits him and stayed long enough to obtain an in-state driver's license.
In 2022, I pointed out to Kiffin during a preseason conversation that he’d never coached four full seasons at any school. Although Kiffin offered no pledge of allegiance, he romanticized the idea of settling in somewhere.
“This is what I always pictured – a job like this,” Kiffin told me then. “A great football place, a place you can go there, stay for a long time, and don’t jump around. That’s what I’d always pictured that I wanted.”
Months later, Kiffin flirted with Auburn, but he stayed put – a good move then, which looks even smarter now. He’s four seasons in with the Rebels.
Kiffin is building something at Ole Miss, and his Rebels aren’t done climbing.
Missouri to the 2024 College Football Playoff?
Considering the depleted nature of Ohio State's offense, I’m not going to read too much into Missouri’s 14-3 win in the Cotton Bowl. The Buckeyes played the final three quarters with their third-string quarterback, freshman Lincoln Kienholz. I would say they became one-dimensional, but that would insinuate they were able to run the ball. They were zero-dimensional.
Credit Missouri’s defense for fueling this victory, while quarterback Brady Cook and running back Cody Schrader made enough plays to squeeze out the necessary offensive production.
Fresh off an 11-win season, Missouri should be considered a 2024 playoff dark horse. I’m not basing that off this bowl result. I’m basing that on the number of standouts returning from this team, including Cook, although replacing Schrader’s production will be a chore.
Missouri’s 2024 schedule accommodates a playoff pursuit. Key games are at Texas A&M, at Alabama and at home against Oklahoma. Defeat at least one of those three and take care of business elsewhere, and the Tigers would become playoff party wreckers.
A preseason top-15 ranking is warranted.
Three and out
1. Two weeks ago, Hugh Freeze indicated Auburn wouldn’t pursue a transfer quarterback. It’s one thing for a coach to support his incumbents, but Freeze went above and beyond to indicate his satisfaction with Auburn’s in-house options. Freeze's comments were curious then, considering Auburn’s quarterback production was a liability throughout a third consecutive losing season. Those comments are comical now, after Auburn lost 31-13 to Maryland in the Music City Bowl. Three Tigers quarterbacks combined to complete just 50% of their passes with two interceptions. Freeze recalibrated his quarterback assessment, saying the competition is “wide open." It needs to be so wide open that a quality transfer waltzes in.
2. The playoff committee managed to select a field that included neither the four most-deserving teams, nor the four-best teams. I think I watched the nation’s best team, Georgia, beat Florida State 63-3 in the Orange Bowl.
3. Kentucky’s Mark Stoops will earn a $100,000 bonus for finishing 7-6 and losing to Clemson in the Gator Bowl. With a contract that good, who needs Texas A&M?
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's SEC Columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.
The "Topp Rope" is his twice-weekly SEC football column published throughout the USA TODAY Network. If you enjoy Blake’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it. Also, check out his podcast, SEC Football Unfiltered, or access exclusive columns via the SEC Unfiltered newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Lane Kiffin keeps climbing. Ole Miss football hasn't hit its ceiling
