It is clear that the Ole Miss Rebels have been playing their best football of the season in recent weeks, and head coach Lane Kiffin has an explanation for this improvement.
Known as “The Portal King” for his success in the transfer market, Kiffin has assembled a roster full of returning players and new recruits for the 2024 season. While integrating so many new talents can be challenging, it often leads to success when done effectively.
To illustrate his point about the Rebels’ recent surge, Kiffin likened their situation to that of an NBA free agent team. “This was kind of like an NBA free agent team,” Kiffin remarked on Monday. “It was assembled late, with many new additions and offseason surgeries. Just like those NBA teams, it sometimes takes longer for a newly assembled team to find its rhythm compared to those with years of cohesion, but they often perform better later in the season.”
He acknowledged that early struggles are common in such situations. “Some people would say right now we’re playing as well as anyone in the country, which we are, but I think that’s a result of that process.”
Kiffin’s perspective resonates, as he has noted the difficulties of integrating so many new players while fostering a strong team culture. However, it seems things began to click for the Rebels during the second half of their recent win over Oklahoma.
This culminated in an impressive victory on Saturday when Ole Miss managed to defeat Georgia, defying expectations and keeping their College Football Playoff aspirations alive. If the Rebels can secure victories in their remaining games and make it to the CFP, it could be attributed to this strategy.
While defeating Georgia is a significant achievement on its own, the primary objective remains reaching the playoff. The Rebels have a bye week before resuming their postseason pursuit with their final regular season matchups against Florida and Mississippi State.
