'Means Nothing!' Lane Kiffin Addresses Ole Miss' Preseason Hype Entering 2024

The Ole Miss Rebels have incredibly high expectations in 2024, but Lane Kiffin is trying to take things one day at a time.

Jul 15, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin speaking at Omni Dallas Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports

The Ole Miss Rebels have a ton of hype entering the 2024 season, but head coach Lane Kiffin is working to temper expectations and keep his team's focus on the task at hand: getting better.

The Rebels opened fall camp this week, and they held media availabilities with Kiffin and select players afterwards on Wednesday. Most of Kiffin's opening statement in his press conference was focused on handling the sky-high expectations that his team faces this preseason. Ole Miss can meet those expectations, but that level of success doesn't happen overnight.

"Spent a lot of time talking to them in the first meeting talking about outside expectations, hype, accolades and those things and how little those mean," Kiffin said. "This team hasn't won any games or played together, and even players that have had previous success here or other places, that doesn't mean anything either.

"Just making sure that they understand whether it's preseason rankings as a team, position groups, individuals, that means nothing, and those could always be the exact opposite, a lot of times."

Kiffin said earlier this summer that this is likely the "best roster" he's had since he arrived in Oxford, but that doesn't necessarily translate to "best team." Ole Miss is full of new faces thanks to the transfer portal, and whether or not the Rebels can reach the College Football Playoff depends largely on how these players come together as a unit.

Even so, Kiffin knows that from a talent perspective, his team is in good shape. It's just about putting the puzzle pieces in place.

"We've got a lot of work to do," Kiffin said. "At the same time, it's exciting to have a lot of pieces to work with and try to gel them together."

The Rebels will continue fall camp activities until their season opener against the FCS Furman Paladins on Aug. 31. Kickoff in that game is set for 6 p.m. CT in Oxford, and it will be televised on SEC Network+.