How Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss have kept Mississippi's 'championship-level' talent in-state
OXFORD — While most of Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin’s headlining additions have come via the transfer portal the last few offseasons, work on the traditional recruiting trail — particularly within Mississippi — can’t be overlooked.
Coming off a Peach Bowl victory and the first 11-win campaign in program history, Ole Miss currently has two of Mississippi’s top-seven players committed to its 2025 class per 247Sports' composite rankings, headlined by Quitman running back Akylin Dear. Dear is ranked as the No. 2-ranked running back in the country and the No. 31 prospect in 247Sports’ composite, which averages out the rankings of prospects on several recruiting sites. Dear is ranked a five-star recruit in On3’s Industry Ranking, which is similar to 247Sports’ composite.
Lake Cormorant linebacker Jarcoby Hopson, also committed to Ole Miss, is a four-star prospect and ranked seventh in the state by both 247Sports’ composite and On3’s Industry Rankings. Hopson prepped with 2024 signee Kam Franklin.
The Rebels have the No. 18-ranked class overall in On3’s rankings and No. 22 in 247Sports’.
“Lane Kiffin has been the head coach for the two best seasons in Ole Miss history, right? … But he wants more,” Steve Wiltfong, On3’s vice president of recruiting and transfer portal, said. “He wants to win these games against Georgia, he wants to win these games against Alabama, and the way that they’ve acquired talent and on the (recruiting) trail, they’re right there, and they’re trying to get over the hump. And I think recruits and portal prospects see that they can be guys that can help make even more history.”
The Rebels signed six of the state’s top-11 players in its 2024 class (all four stars) per 247Sports’ composite, three of the top-five in the 2023 class — headlined by five-star linebacker Suntarine Perkins — and two of the top-eight in the 2022 class. They signed two of 247Sports’ top-seven players in-state in the 2021 class. In 2020, which was Kiffin’s first class (though not a full cycle), Ole Miss signed one of the top-eight players in the state.
Ole Miss has received commitments or signed one or both of the top-two players in Mississippi in each of the last three recruiting cycles in both On3’s Industry Rankings and 247Sports’ composite.
“It’s important to win your state with the championship-level guys. You don’t just take guys because they’re in-state. You take the in-state guys that can help you beat Alabama, LSU and Georgia,” Wiltfong said. “That’s where this program’s at, not letting guys like (Akylin) Dear … go elsewhere. You don’t want to play against them dudes.
“ … Make sure that all your potential, future pros are with you.”
The Rebels’ 2024 class had a heavy focus the offensive and defensive fronts — not too dissimilar from their emphasis in the latest transfer portal cycle — nabbing four, four-star in-state defensive linemen in Franklin, William Echoles, Kamron Beavers and Jeffrey Rush. Franklin and Echoles were both ranked top-130 players nationally by both 247sports and On3.
The recent high school signees, along with the additions of elite transfers like Walter Nolen and Princely Umanmielen, have helped reload and transform a defensive front that can thrive immediately and in the future because of the combination of high schoolers and veterans. As Wiltfong said, it’s impossible to be a national title contender “without having a**kickers in the trenches” and depth.
Defensive coordinator Pete Golding has long been known as an elite recruiter going back to his time at Alabama, Wiltfong said, is "passionate about building meaningful relationships with his top targets. Combined with the recruiting prowess and relationship building of coordinator of recruiting strategy Kelvin Bolden and defensive line coach Randall Joyner, the Rebels are "recruiting at a high level."
“They’ve boosted their defensive line room tremendously with the portal guys, and then backfilled on the recruiting trail with guys that can come in as true freshmen and have the traits to push those older guys and then ultimately take over,” Wiltfong said. “So, love the way that Ole Miss has positioned themselves at the point of attack on the defensive side of the ball to instantly make a push in the College Football Playoff, but then have guys that can be counted on in Year 2 that will hopefully maintain the standard.”
The gem of the 2025 class so far is Dear, the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder from Quitman. Dear ran for 2,016 yards and 27 touchdowns last season. The Rebels appear set at running back in 2024 with a three-headed monster of Ulysses Bentley IV, Henry Parrish and Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Each will be out of eligibility come 2025, however, and class of 2023 four-star Kedrick Reescano recently entered the transfer portal.
“Well, he’s 200 pounds, and he’ll physically be ready to play Day 1,” Wiltfong said. “He’s quick and explosive between the tackles, a decisive runner that has after-contact ability.”
