The University of Mississippi Dominates the Transfer Portal

Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at Hollingsworth Field is an outdoor athletic stadium located in Oxford, Mississippi. The stadium serves as the home for the University of Mississippi Rebels college football team. The stadium is named after Johnny Vaught and Judge William Hemingway. When the stadium opened, it was named for Judge William Hemingway, a professor of law and chairman of the University's Committee on Athletics. October 12, 1982 saw the addition of legendary Ole Miss coach Johnny Vaught's name to the stadium. September 5, 1998 saw the field named for longtime supporter Dr. Jerry Hollingsworth, bringing the current official title to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at Hollingsworth Field. — 'Out Comes Ole Miss, Vaught–Hemingway Stadium, University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), Oxford, Mississippi' Photo Credit Ken Lund via Flickr

As the Transfer Portal window is about to come to a close, teams are left scrambling to bring in talent so they can compete in the 2024 season. NIL had made it incredibly difficult for teams to not only get players on campus but to get them to sign their NIL to join their program. Coaches are left to manage rosters in many different ways to make their team as competitive as possible as they navigate this new world of college football. The University of Mississippi head coach Lane Kiffin looks to have done a magnificent job in doing so that his Rebel team should compete with the Alabama’s and Georgia’s of the SEC for conference dominance.

Lane Kiffin's 2024 incoming recruit class left a lot to be desired after coming in ranked 21 (247sports) in the country after the early signing day period. Ole Miss was only able to bring in 11 4-star and 10 3-star prospects with 10 players coming in on offense, 8 on defense along with 3 Athletes. The Rebels not being ranked inside the top 15 is disappointing for fans. But what Kiffin has done with the portal should help change those fans' perspectives and give them hope to accomplish goals that they haven’t in decades. According to 247sports Old Miss was able to bring in the number 1 Portal class in 2024, in that class are 4 of the top 20 players including the number 1 transfer player.

In this new era of college football balance is the key to building a successful team, to not only win conference championships but to compete for national championships as well. It's no longer just about finding high school players and hoping they play to their potential. Now it’s getting the high school player to commit as you also offset any holes and upgrading talent at positions of need in the portal.

Teams need to be cautious however how they use the portal too much and you can end up like Colorado, the flip side is not enough and you end up lacking talent like Clemson. Thanks to the transfer portal, coaches are forced to not only recruit incoming players from high school but also players on their team, in addition to players that have entered the portal.

The importance of using the portal to improve one's talent can not be understated going into 2024. Fans need only to look no further than this year’s college football playoff. Two of the teams that made the playoff this year are led by players who came in from the portal. The first is Michael Penix Jr. who left Indiana for Washington, the other is Texas starting QB Quinn Ewers who came via the portal from Ohio State. Lane Kiffin not only understands the importance of the transfer portal, but he has also made sure to put the proper resources towards it so he can use it to his advantage.

Going into the 2024 season all signs point to Ole Miss successfully using the portal better than anyone in the country. Kiffin looks to have let the right players enter and at the same time pulled even better players out. The players that have entered the portal from Ole Miss are 92% 3-star or lower players, while 50% of the players that are coming in are 4-star or better.

Outgoing Players:

13 total

9 offensive, 3 defensive, 1 special teams. 11 3-star, 1 4-star, 1 2-star

3-Star Caden Costa 6-0 200lbs K, Mandeville, LA Ole Miss-->Memphis

2. 3-Star Isheem Young 5-9.5 201Lbs S, Philadelphia, PA Ole Miss-->?

3. 3-Star Larry Simmons 6-1 190lbs WR, Moss Point, MS Ole Mis-->Southern Miss Golden Eagles

4. 3-Star Cedric Melton 6-5 300Lbs OT, Houston, TX Ole Miss-->?

5. 3-Star Bralon Brown 6-2 195lbs WR, Fort Lauderdale, FL Ole Miss-->?

6. 3-Star JJ Henry 5-9 170Lbs WR, McKinney, TX Ole Miss-->?

7. 3-StarJeremiah Dillon 6-2 175lbs WR, Tylertown, MS Ole Miss-->Vanderbilt

8. 3-Star Reginald Hughes 6-2 230lbs LB, Tunica, MS Ole Miss-->?

9. 2-Star Rayf Vinson 6-0 185Lbs WR, Madison, MS Ole Miss-->?

10. 4-Star Michael Trigg 6-4 245lbs TE, Tampa, FL Ole Miss-->?

11. 3-Star Cedrick Nicely 6-5 310lbs OT, Gainesville, GA Ole Miss-->?

12. 3-Star Demarko Williams 5-10 175lbs S, Atlanta, GA Ole Miss-->?

13. 3-Star Kyirin Heath 6-4 235lbs TE, Mansfield, TX Ole Miss-->Southern Miss Golden Eagles

Incoming Players:

12 total

247Sports #1 Ranked Transfer Portal Class

3 offensive, 9 defensive, 1 5-star, 5 4-star, 6 3-star

5-Star DL Walter Nolen, Texas A&M-->Ole Miss

6-4 285Lbs, high school: Powell, Powell, TN

2. 4-Star EDGE Princely Umanmielen, Florida-->Ole Miss

6-4 255Lbs, high school: Manor, Manor, TX

3. 4-Star LB Chris Paul Jr, Arkansas-->Ole Miss

6-1 233Lbs, high school: Crisp County, Cordele, GA

4. 3-Star S Tamarion McDonald, Tennessee__>Ole Miss

6-2 208Lbs, high school: Whitehaven, Memphis, TN

5. 3-Star WR Devin Price, FAU-->Ole Miss

6-3 205Lbs, high school: A&M Consolidated, College Station, TX

6. 3-Star S Key Lawrence, Oklahoma-->Ole Miss

6-1 206Lbs, high school: Ensworth, Nashville, TN

7. 3-Star IOL Gerquan Scott, Southern Miss Golden Eagles-->Ole Miss

6-4 300Lbs, high school: WP Davidson, Mobile, AL

8. 4-Star WR Antwane Wells, South Carolina-->Ole Miss

6-1 210LBS, high school: Highland Springs, Highland Springs, VA

9. 4-Star EDGE Tyler Baron, Tennessee-->Ole Miss

6-5 260Lbs, high school: Knoxville Catholic, Knoxville, TN

10. 4-Star CB Decamerion Richardson, Mississippi State-->Ole Miss

6-2 196lbs, high school: Bossier, Bossier City, LA

11. 3-Star S Louis Moore, Indiana-->Ole Miss

6-1 191Lbs, high school: Poteet, Mesquite, TX

12. 3-Star CB Tahveon Nicholson, Illinois-->Ole Miss

5-11 180Lbs, high school: Riverside, Jacksonville, FL

Possible Addition

5-Star WR Evan Stewart, Texas A&M-->Ole Miss, FSU, Oregon, Tennessee and USC

6-0 175Lbs, high school: Liberty City, Frisco, TX

Number comparison

Offense

Outgoing 9 players, Incoming 3 players

OUTGOING		INCOMING
11	RECEPTIONS	10
169	YARDS	157
14.7	AVERAGE PER RECEPTION	14.7
1	TOUCHDOWNS	2

Defense

Outgoing 3 players, Incoming 9 players

OUTGOING		INCOMING
23	SOLO TACKLES	268
13	ASSIST TACKLES	192
36	TOTAL TACKLES	450
0	TOTAL SACKS	21
0	SACK YARDS	121
2	PASSES DEFENDED	25
0	INTERCEPTIONS	6
0	INTERCEPTION YARDS	49
0	INTERCEPTION TOUCHDOWNS	1
0	FORCED FUMBLES	6
1	FUMBLES RECOVERED	2
0	FUMBLES TOUCHDOWNS	1

Kicking

Outgoing 1 player, Incoming 0 players

OUTGOING		INCOMING
6	EXTRA POINTS MADE	0
6	EXTRA POINTS ATTEMPTS	0
100	EXTRA POINT PERCENTAGE	0
1	FIELD GOAL MADE	0
1	FIELD GOAL ATTEMPTS	0
100	FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	0
0	FG 1-19	0
0	FG 20-29	0
1-1	FG 30-39	0
0	FG 40-49	0
0	FG 50+	0
36	FG LONG	0
9	TOTAL KICKING POINTS	0

Top 20 Ranked Players

Lane Kiffin and staff were able to bring in 4 of the top 20 players ranked in the transfer portal. All four players can come in and play right away. The crowning jewel of the incoming transfer class is Walter Nolen a DL who ranks number 1 and will come in and have an immediate impact on the defensive line. The number 2 player in the Portal Evan Stewart a wide receiver from Texas A&M hasn’t committed yet but the Rebels are believed to be one of 5 landing spots.

1. DL Walter Nolen

11. Edge Princely Umanmielen

13. EdgeTyler Baron

16. WR Antwane Wells

Breaking Down the Top 4 Incoming Transfers

Ranked 1 Walter Nolen DL from Texas A&M

Nolen has the size and the strength to be a 3-down player and become an immediate impact on the defensive line for the Rebels. Nolan has a quick first step and can set the edge using his power and long arms to shed blockers off. His power lets him win at the line of scrimmage giving him opportunities to get to the quarterback. Nolan while at A&M has shown he has a nonstop motor and because of that is persistent at trying to disrupt the pocket. Walter needs to find a way to run people down in pursuit, he is a very north-south player. He is still raw with some of his moves on the line, but with the help of defensive line coach Randal Jonyer Walter should become much better at that.

Ranked 11th Princely Umanmielen Edge Florida

Umanmiele at Florida showed outstanding ability at timing the snap and getting off the line of scrimmage fast, because of this fast move he was able to beat opposing linemen off the edge. Princely flies around the ball and has incredible on-field IQ, being able to read and react to make plays on the ball. When Princely gets to the ball he packs a punch, making sure opponents know he is in the game. Like Nolen Umanmiele comes in with a good motor and is quick coming off the edge making it very uncomfortable for offensive linemen to pass protect. At 255 Princely will need to add size if he hopes to become a more effective edge rusher and play at the next level.

Ranked 13th Tyler Baron Edge Tennessee

Tyler has the classic frame to play edge, his long arms and excellent instincts help him shed blocks and disrupt the pocket. Tyler is quick off the line, flexible, and has great athleticism making him a matchup nightmare for opposing linemen. Baron heads to Ole Miss with power, a great motor, and speed making it very difficult for offensives to keep him away from their quarterback. Tayler has shown very limited moves to beat elite offensive linemen causing him to be stuck on the line of scrimmage on plays. He also needs to learn how to use his length to more of his advantage and will need to put on some size to be a high-impact player.

Ranked 16th Antwane Wells WR South Carolina

Wells brings a slot treat to Old Miss with his ability to make plays after the catch, making him a major threat between the numbers. At Carolina Wells also showed the ability to make players miss in the open field, no matter where he gets the ball that ability makes him a big play threat. Antwane is a very reliable target for his quarterback, he has strong hands and can make plays on balls when passes are thrown low or behind him. Antwane will need to work on creating separation between himself and the defender. He also has a hard time making plays on balls that are defended well, even though he tracks the ball well he is not a deep threat.

The University of Mississippi Defense Could be Elite.

Ole Miss added talent to key position spots on the defensive side of the ball. Pete Golding will be able to attack the opposing team’s quarterbacks while still securing the secondary. Last year Ole Miss was giving up an average of 220 yards in the air a game ranking them 7th in the SEC. The Rebel let teams convert 40% of their 3rd downs and in the red zone, opponents scored 84.21% of the time. With the new talent coming in fans should expect drastic improvement on defense in 2024.

In 2023 Ole Miss lost only two games, a 24-10 loss to Alabama, and a 52-17 loss at Georgia. In the Alabama game, Ole Miss's defense gave up 356 yards of total offense. Bama put up 131 yards on the ground and 225 yards in the air. The Georgia game was nothing but embarrassing, giving up 611 total yards. In the air, Ole Miss allowed 311 yards, and on the ground, the Rebels let Georgia average 8.6 yards a carry and 300 rushing yards.

The good news is Golding's defense shouldn’t have games like those any longer. Ole Miss's addition of edge talent to go along with the secondary talent they add will allow Golding to play very aggressively upfront.

In the secondary Ole Miss will be able to play man-to-man or zone and Golding will use different coverages at times to confuse quarterbacks. With the increased talent on the backend of the defense

up front Golding will be able to keep more guys up front to stop the run.

The best way to defend against the pass is to give the opposing QB no time to pass and that’s exactly what the Rebels will be able to do. Ole Miss should see a big increase in their sack total in 2024 after totaling 34 this past season. Fans can expect to see a very aggressive pass rush next season and Ole Miss is going to need it to be. With QBs like Carson Beck, Jalen Milroe and Quinn Ewers in the SEC, if Ole Miss wants to win their first SEC championship since 1963 Golding will need his pass rush to be elite.

Ole Miss finished 2023 with a 10-2 record in the SEC, with the only losses coming at the hands of Georgia and Alabama something Rebels fans have become accustomed to. But this could all change in 2024 because of Ole Miss CEO Lane Kiffin's ability to navigate this new college football world. Is 2024 going to be the year when finally Ole Miss gives their fans something to celebrate? Ole Miss's ability to use the transfer portal should not only help them compete for a conference championship in 2024, but fans should expect them to compete for a national championship as well.