Lane Kiffin shares what comes next for Ole Miss after Peach Bowl win

This season was the most successful in Ole Miss football history. Capped with a 38-25 Peach Bowl win over Penn State, head coach Lane Kiffin is excited for what is to come in 2024 for his Rebels.

“I think it’s really a cool time right now at Ole Miss,” Kiffin said postgame. “To win the most games in the history of the school and to have so many pieces already announcing that they’re coming back — which I made sure a couple of them are still doing that after their performances today.

“I said that when I got hired, we didn’t come here to be good and win some decent bowl games and some matches. We came here to be great, win New Year’s Six bowls like this, be a top ten program. So to not just have so many players coming back, but I think it’s been well publicized so many players around the country already joining in for next year. It was obviously extremely important to cap this [season] off right because I felt like the last couple weeks, so much focus was on next year.”

That attention to Ole Miss’ incoming transfer portal class is warranted, however. Former top-ranked recruit Walter Nolan from Texas A&M, cornerback Decamerion Richardson from Mississippi State, wideout Juice Wells from South Carolina, EDGE Tyler Baron from Tennessee — and that’s just scratching the surface. Not to mention Kiffin’s incoming recruiting class, which ranks No. 20 in the nation following early national signing day.

Still, Kiffin isn’t taking most of his star players returning to school for another year lightly. That group includes two-year starting quarterback Jaxson Dart — retaining that type of talent is invaluable to the position Ole Miss is trying to put themselves in ahead of the 2024 college football season.

“These guys announcing they’re coming back, all these great players from around the country kind of coming together,” Kiffin continued. “Some of these guys joked about it being the last dance next year, and I was concerned there was too much focus on that.

“Obviously, they did a great job showing up today. Like I said, a really cool game to see them really win situations in the fourth downs and critical plays in really critical situations and taking advantage of offsides and different things. Those are proud things as a coach when these guys do that.”

If the first few weeks following the regular season is any indication, Kiffin is just getting started in his effort to lead the Rebels’ program into a College Football Playoff berth in 2024.