Lane Kiffin: Ole Miss Rebels 'Have to Recruit at a Higher Level' After Georgia Loss

Lane Kiffin did not pull any punches after his team's loss to Georgia on Saturday night.

There's no way around it: Saturday was not pretty for the Ole Miss Rebels.

Head coach Lane Kiffin had called Saturday's road game against the Georgia Bulldogs somewhat of a "free shot" against the back-to-back national champions, but even he probably didn't imagine his team would fall 52-17 in Athens. Still, that's what happened, and after the game, Kiffin became painfully-realistic.

It's worth noting that Ole Miss has a real chance at reaching 10 wins for the second time in three years under Kiffin, a feat not achieved in the modern era in Oxford. If the Rebels want to compete for national championships, however, some improvements have to be made.

"I’m very realistic," Kiffin said. "That was not playoff-looking team at all that we put out there today. The last thing I’m worried about is that knocking us out of the playoffs. We don’t deserve to be in the playoffs.

"We’ve got to recruit at a higher level. I’m not blaming. We’ve got to coach better. At some point, whatever those stats are … we’ve signed one five-star, they’ve signed 24. It kind of (does) show up at some point. We would have to recruit at a better level. Do a better job of recruiting."

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin :: © Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Rebels have not hauled in poor recruiting classes under Kiffin, but they have not been on the elite level of the Georgia Bulldogs in that department, and it showed on the field on Saturday night. 

Now, Ole Miss will lick its wounds and shift its focus to the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks at home on Saturday before the annual Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving night in Starkville against Mississippi State. Win those games, and you finish with 10 regular season wins again, but Kiffin has loftier goals than that, and that takes better recruiting.