Lane Kiffin Talks Recruiting Class, Transfer Portal in Wednesday Press Conference

The Ole Miss head coach spoke to the media on Wednesday afternoon as the spinning of the Early Signing Period began to slow.

Lane Kiffin spoke to media on Wednesday afternoon about his recruiting class during the Early Signing Period, and he was pleased with the results he received.

While the early signing period is highlighted by high school and junior college talent, Kiffin emphasized that his staff's work is not done on the recruiting trail this week, namely due to the transfer portal.

"We're excited about our high school players that we got," Kiffin said. "For the most part, this was high school, knowing that the rest is older guys. That'll be ongoing."

The Rebel head coach believes that the transfer portal is an evolving medium, and he structured his signing class accordingly, specifically leaving room for transfers from the portal.

"I would anticipate a lot of movement there," Kiffin said. "By design, this is a small class. We were picky and had high standards. Excited about the guys who came."

One of the Rebels' key signees on Wednesday was Jaron Willis, a high school athlete out of Georgia. Willis was the No. 95 player in the SI99 and the No. 8 linebacker in the country, and Kiffin believes his profile translates well to the competition that he'll soon face.

"Not for sure exactly what he'll play, but he's a very big athlete," Kiffin said. "He looks like somebody who's ready to play in the SEC."

For the second year in a row, Ole Miss signed multiple players who were not committed to the Rebels entering the day. Willis, Tyler Banks (ATH), Falentha Carswell (OL), and Cam East (OL) all fall into that category.

"It's better when it works that way because you're not the target the whole time," Kiffin said. "It's easier when it goes that way at the end. I think part of that is that we're a little bit slow when it comes to commits--not over-offering. When you win, better players come, so that's a part of that too."

Part of the commitment to not "over-offering" players is, in Kiffin's eyes, an attempt to not fill positions for the sake of numbers, but to get the best available athletes on the board.

"I don't look at it as much like that as we used to," Kiffin said. "Just look for the best players and get our 85 to be the best we can be. We'd much rather have the best players instead of exact numbers.

"The portal, to me, allows you to not reach. Not only are there guys available, but there will be more guys available after bowl games and spring ball."

Similar to earlier in the week, Kiffin also spoke about the drawbacks of NIL legislation in the current landscape of college football, stating that there is "a lot of money promised."

"You're in free agency," Kiffin said. "I really hope for these kids that they're getting all the money that they're promised when they get there. Because there's a lot of money being promised. It's unique. They get promised all this money to come places, but there's no contract."

Keep it locked to The Grove Report for more news that breaks during the Early Signing Period.

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