Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin loves to say what’s on his mind, and that’s what makes him one of the best personalities in college football.
In an interview with Andy Staples of On3, Lane Kiffin opened up about his thoughts on the return of EA Sports College Football video game, which will be released this summer.
Unlike players, college coaches are not expected to be featured in the video game. Despite this, Kiffin would love to be coaching his Rebels in the game, and he gave his reasoning to Staples.
“The kids like to play it,” Kiffin said to Staples. “When they’re picking the team, you would want recruits to play with the coach.”
In today’s college football world, recruiting is the name of the game. More often than not, the team with more talent gets the job done at the end of the day. Coaches need to do everything they can to reel in top talent, and Kiffin is no exception.
Visibility certainly is a factor in that, and that’s a big reason why Kiffin is so active on social media with how many recruits and young people are on social media. These same young people will be the ones buying College Football 25, so it’s not a shock to see Kiffin want to be associated with that as well.
Ole Miss has done a fine job of high school recruiting under Kiffin. The Rebels had the No. 21 overall class in 2024, the No. 23 class in 2023 and the No. 27 class in 2022. While these classes are among the best in the nation, where Ole Miss has really improved under Kiffin is in the transfer portal, and NIL is a big factor in that.
Kiffin touched on recruiting and NIL in his reasoning for wanting to be a part of College Football 25.
“My brain thinks about ‘What would help in recruiting?’ If you did pay me for that, I wouldn’t want it. I’d want you to put it into our NIL.”
It should not be a surprise that NIL is on Kiffin’s mind. Ole Miss had the No. 2 overall transfer classes in both 2022 and 2023, and now his 2024 transfer haul ranks tops in the nation. The Rebels wouldn’t be able to bring in so much talent without deep pockets.
Ole Miss is a serious contender in the SEC in 2024 following an 11-2 season with a Peach Bowl victory in 2023. A big reason why so many are high on the Rebels is because of this elite transfer portal haul that Lane Kiffin brought in.
The transfer class is highlighted by 5-star defensive tackle Walter Nolan, who is coming over from Texas A&M, and pass rusher Princely Umanmielen, originally a standout at Florida. In all, Lane Kiffin brought in 17 transfers for 2024, and he may not be done with another portal window to come after the spring.
As long as Kiffin continues to be a source of entertainment and conversation both on the field and social media, he should continue to see plenty of success with bringing talent to Ole Miss. Add in an appearance in College Football 25 and Lane Kiffin will be tough to beat on the recruiting trail.