Ex-Rebels TE Jonathan Hess Explains Why Ole Miss 'Dominates The Portal'

The Ole Miss Rebels have been a premier transfer portal destination ever since Lane Kiffin arrived on campus.

Sep 11, 2021; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels tight end Jonathan Hess is flipped in the air by Austin Peay Governors defensive back Shamari Simmons (16) during the forth quarter at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

OXFORD, Miss. -- The Ole Miss Rebels have recently caught flack for losing a trio of commits from their 2025 recruitment class. Five-star Jerome Myles, four-star Dillon Alfred, and three-star Corey Amos all de-committed from Ole Miss in one day.

But current players and alumni are not worried about this recent obstacle on the recruiting trail, thanks to the NCAA Transfer Portal. Fans of other SEC teams have taken to social media to comment on Ole Miss' recruiting woes, but the Rebels have been quick to remind everyone that Lane Kiffin has no problem landing the best talent in the portal.

The father of Ole Miss linebacker Chris Paul Jr. explained why the Rebels have no problem recruiting via the portal currently.

"Do you know how many EXPERIENCED kids would LOVE to play in a [Lane Kiffin] offense and a [Pete Golding] defense?" Paul asked via X (formerly Twitter).

Former Ole Miss tight end Jonathan Hess chimed in on Paul's post with his own in-depth reasoning behind the Rebels' portal success.

"[Recruits] go places for the 'hype' then once they are actually in the program they see what it's really like and then want out and want to go somewhere they can actually develop and still have fun doing it," Hess said via X. "That's why Ole Miss dominates the portal in my opinion."

The Rebels did not have a loaded 2024 NFL class, but they will be sending multiple elite prospects to the 2025 NFL Draft once this "Last Dance" wraps up for the Ole Miss seniors. Most, if not all, of Ole Miss' best players this season were acquired via the portal at some point in time. Kiffin is well aware that thanks to the current landscape of recruitment, the battle is never lost just because a prospect signs somewhere else out of high school.