Signing day results mean more work ahead for Ole Miss and Kiffin

Wednesday’s signing day was not kind to Ole Miss from a national perspective, and maybe that is the largest takeaway for fans.

Three decommitments plus no notable flips to the Rebels made for a not so great day as Ole Miss fans watched a top 25 recruiting class slip down the rankings. But, there are some extremely bright spots in the 11-man class signed already by the Rebel coaching staff.

There’s three players out of the top five in the state of Mississippi signed to play at Ole Miss, which in recent years was not happening. It has been several years since the Rebels could say it signed the top two players in the state (Suntarine Perkins and Ayden Williams).

Fans saw seven four-star prospects sign with the Rebels on Wednesday out of the eleven signees and have an eighth waiting in the wings in transfer Joshua Harris. To compare, here is how many four-star or higher prospects Ole Miss has signed in previous classes (247Sports):

• 2022: Six (15th ranked class)
• 2021: Eight (17th ranked class)
• 2020: Four (33rd ranked class)
• 2019: Eight (23rd ranked class)
• 2018: Three (32nd ranked class)
• 2017: Two (31st ranked class)
• 2016: Fifteen (5th ranked class)
• 2015: Seven (17th ranked class)
• 2014: Six (17th ranked class)
• 2013: Twelve (8th ranked class)

I’m sure there’s an excel spreadsheet that can be plugged into, but I’m not opening that damn program until 2023. What fans can see though is eight four-star or higher classes have happened four out of the last ten recruiting classes, and now Ole Miss has secured another one.

On top of that, it is highly unlikely the Rebel coaching staff is done just yet while every other team in the SEC is left with little to no room to add any more high school or junior college prospects. If this is Kiffin not just thinking outside of the box but creating a new one, it is a far more creative approach this recruiting cycle than last year.

There’s still a ton to be determined out of the transfer portal, and Kiffin seemed to hint at more players entering the portal after bowl season concluded. If that comes to pass, there may be a roster overhaul in Oxford like fans have not seen before. With 17 Rebels in the transfer market, there could be 30-40 new faces in red and blue next season.

What a time to be alive.

But in the fluid world of college football with a transfer portal, I am not sure I’d want many other coaches than Kiffin at the helm. He’s shown in the last couple years the ability to use the newest rules of recruiting to his advantage, and his staff’s ability to find talent has been pretty damn impressive. Now, they’re put to the test over the next few months to finish filling out its roster for the 2023 season. No pressure.