CBS tabs Kiffin a Top 25 hire of the century; Ole Miss eyes CFP breakthrough

Sixth-year Ole Miss head football coach Lane Kiffin last week was named a ‘Top Coaching Hire This Century’ by CBS.

Kiffin came in at No. 21. Among his listed notable accomplishments were his 44-18 cumulative record, as well as the school’s single-season win record. Ole Miss has won 10 or more games in three of the last four years. 

From CBS: Few would call Kiffin’s tenure as quiet and consistent, but his Rebels have been exactly that. The Rebels have posted 10 wins in three of the past four years, including a school record 11 victories in 2023. Perhaps most impressive has been Kiffin’s flexibility when it comes to building rosters, from leaning on quarterbacks like Jaxson Dart to building fearsome defensive fronts behind Walter Nolen and running the ball with Quinshon Judkins. Kiffin was all hype early in his career; now, he’s all results. 

No. 1 was Nick Saban at Alabama, followed by Urban Meyer at Florida and Dabo Swinney at Clemson. Pete Carroll (USC) and Kirby Smart (Georgia) rounded out the Top 5. 

“It’s been an amazing five years,” Kiffin told Matt DeGregorio of WLOX at a Grove Collective Caravan stop in May. “Won a lot of games, made a lot of great relationships with people there (and) at the university. So many players come in, so many just got drafted and moved on to NFL teams. I think it’s like 20 signed. It’s been a great run.”

RELATED: Talk of Champions: Austin Simmons unaffected by Ole Miss spring QB additions

Ole Miss in 2025 is replacing over 70 percent of its starting 22 from last season. 

The Rebels has a new starting quarterback. All but one of their starting wide receivers are new, as is the entire defensive secondary and most all of the defensive line. 

Ole Miss signed another Top 3 transfer class in the off-season and is weeks into summer workouts. The Rebels recently announced the additions of transfers Trinidad Chambliss (QB), Terez Davis (OL), Tavoy Feagin (CB), Ricky Fletcher (CB), Antonio Kite (CB), Maealiuaki Smith (QB), Damien Taylor (RB) and Wydett Williams, Jr. (S).

Nine high school signees are now in the fold as well, led by 5-star wide receiver Caleb Cunningham, who chose Ole Miss over Alabama and others during his recruitment. The others are Corey Amos (DE), Kenneth Boston (OL), Ladarian Clardy (S), Dante Core (CB), TJ Hedrick (OL), Shekai Mills-Knight (RB), Cortez Thomas (S) and Keon Young (S).

Ole Miss missed the 12-team College Football Playoff last season, and the Rebels are still projected to contend again next season despite all the new faces. BetOnline released its odds for teams with the best chances to earn a berth into the CFP. Ole Miss was tied with LSU for ninth (+140).

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The Rebels also have the eighth-best odds to win the CFP National Championship (+2500).

“It’s the only thing I really want. That’s the top goal — winning a national championship and leading this team and paving this road to glory,” first-year Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons said of his goals as new Ole Miss QB1. “All that great juice like storming the field at the end of the year in January, that’s the one thing I really want. That’s the one thing I think we can achieve as a team.”

Simmons is taking over for three-year record-setter Jaxson Dart, a first-round NFL Draft selection of the New York Giants. 

Dart threw for 4,729 yards, 29 touchdowns and an SEC-leading 329.2 yards last season. He earned all-conference honors. Simmons received playing time for the first time in his career. He completed 19 of 32 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns in nine games.

“These two years definitely helped seeing how Dart really acted around the team, how he involved everyone and just taking everything from what I’ve seen and learned on and off the field from him and just adding some things to my toolbox and really just going to take it on to next year,” Simmons said.