Paul Finebaum calls Ole Miss an upper-echelon SEC team after transfer portal commitments

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has seemingly mastered recruiting out of the transfer portal, boasting a strong list of commitments through the portal just three weeks into December.

Big names like Princely Umanmielen, Tyler Baron, and Juice Wells have all decided to stay within the SEC but take their talents to Oxford ahead of the 2024 season, already setting up the Rebels for success early in the offseason. Which led to Cole Cubelic asking college football analyst Paul Finebaum on ‘McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning’ if he’s ready to put his stamp of approval on Ole Miss having an exceptional football team that can make next year’s 12-team College Football Playoff.

“I am, I think it’s pretty apparent Cole that Lane Kiffin has taken this program to an occasional contender, but mostly pretender, to a legitimate upper elite echelon SEC team,” Finebaum admitted. “I know we obsessed this year so much about well he can’t beat Nick Saban, but Kirby Smart‘s got that problem and so do about 13 of the SEC coaches.

“But ultimately he’s moved on, he’s made difference where he can, he has a great collective as you guys know, and it’s hard to find anybody more effective right now in the portal than Lane.”

This year Kiffin led the Rebels to their second 10-win season of his four-year tenure with the program and their fourth straight bowl appearance as they’re scheduled to face Penn State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl next Saturday.

But his recent work in the transfer portal could be the difference in him taking Ole Miss to another level, potentially a level, and his personality and relatability paired with the Rebels’ strong NIL collective could potentially be the difference.

“Well Greg [McElroy] I mean you that he’s always been more on the cutting edge and he’s not very much younger anymore than many of the coaches, he just looks younger and acts younger,” Finebaum explained. “But I think he just has this innate ability for relatability. For a guy that we all know can be awkward, quirky, he can look right into these player’s eyes and communicate. He’s always been able to do that and I think his reputation on the offensive side is unparalleled.”

The head coach known for his popularity on Twitter is now known for his popularity in the transfer portal, boasting the second-highest score behind Louisville in On3’s Team Transfer Portal Index, an algorithm that measures a team’s production during the transfer process, compared relative against its roster and not a comparison against other schools.

Kiffin’s imminent portal additions paired with players like Quinshon Judkins, Tre Harris, and Caden Prieskorn returning to Oxford next season are generating some rightful excitement surrounding the program, potentially marking what could be their best season to date in 2024.