Lane Kiffin discusses the evolution of recruiting, difficulty of retaining players

Even the once-dubbed “Portal King” has to recruit at the high school level, too. But Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said that’s changing as the college sports landscape evolves.

“I think it’s just gotten really complicated,” Kiffin said on National Signing Day. “It might be easier sometimes if you just don’t look at analytics and try to figure it all out and say, ‘OK, that guy’s a good player. We’ll take him.’

“I think now, at least in my opinion, you have to look at everything. Where’s the guy from? What’s his personality? Is he the type that is more apt to transfer? You’ve got to weigh in all those things that come with that.”

Kiffin acknowledged how much has changed across recruiting over the last few years, especially with NIL and the transfer portal playing major roles on the trail. In fact, it’s not just recruiting players to come to programs anymore.

It’s about keeping them there, as well, and that adds to the factors in high school recruiting.

“You’re just in a strange time because eventually, when that guy plays good, you have to recruit him to stay,” Kiffin said. “When a window closes and we don’t lose significant players in a window, we’re celebrating keeping our own players that weren’t even in the portal.

“We’re just keeping them from going other places because it is a constant battle. I know other coaches have the same problem. We, obviously, talk.”

Lane Kiffin: You’ve seen ‘very significant players around the country’ transfer

One example Kiffin knows well is Quinshon Judkins, who burst onto the scene in 2022 as a freshman. He led the SEC with 1,565 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns after arriving on campus as a three-star recruit. Kiffin said Judkins would’ve had his suitors if he decided to transfer during the first portal window, which ran from Dec. 5 to Jan. 15.

When the window closed, Kiffin exhaled because Judkins stayed and didn’t indicate he planned to leave. Other programs weren’t so lucky, though, he said.

“You have a great player like Quinshon. He’s one of the most recruited players in the country over the last few months,” Kiffin said. “That’s very challenging and exciting — which sounds crazy — when the window closes that he’s still here because you’ve seen other very significant players around the country move.

“It’s just unfortunate when you talk to these coaches and they say kids come into them and say, ‘Hey, I’m going into the portal.’ OK, well what are your plans? ‘Well, I already know where I’m going and I know how much money I’m making.’ Deals are already done. That really hasn’t been the case for us, but I know it’s been written about, some issues of very significant players around the country being bought away. That just needs to somehow be fixed and create a real free agency.”