Oxford, The Family Land: Ole Miss Rebels' New Vibe Emits 'Family' Atmosphere

During a productive preseason camp, the Ole Miss Rebels had a fun and family-like atmosphere entering 2024 season.

Dec 30, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin holds up the Peach Bowl trophy after a victory against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

A lot of coaches and teams preach to recruits and players that their program is a "family." At Ole Miss, however, Lane Kiffin steers clear of that notion. That was, until this season.

In a press conference leading up to Saturday's season opener against Furman, Kiffin, the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels, was asked about the leadership and vibe of a club house full of transfers. While getting new players to gel into an existing team culture takes time, he thinks his team is on the right foot.

"Everybody talks about family, and we don't really promote that in recruiting like a lot of people do because I think it's overused and inaccurate," Kiffin said. "But this unit and staff and players and building really feel like a family."

The atmosphere in Oxford has backed up Kiffin's statement perfectly. The Rebels are ranked sixth in the AP Poll heading into Week 1 and have a ton of returning members along with some top-ranked transfers.

While all of that is great, the world got to see what kind of bond this team has with a viral video of some coaches playing a short-sided basketball game during a team meeting. Coach Kevin Smith took on another coach in a one-versus-one matchup and made a jump shot over him, sending the whole team into a frenzy. This video really shows the connection between the players and coaches and the special bond they are building.

TEAM MEETING #6! @KevinSmithRB #BallGame #ISOSMITTY pic.twitter.com/FkAYrPviDz

— Jaxson Dart (@JaxsonDart) August 17, 2024

Kiffin also talked about one of his upperclassman leaders on the team, who is also a family man. Tight end Caden Prieskorn is a father entering his final year of college football, and Kiffin discussed how Prieskorn's parental ability affects his work ethic at practices.

"He leads by example by how he works," Kiffin said.

He praised Prieskorn very highly and emitted a vibe of trusting him with a lot of responsibility with the team on and off the field. That type of trust pays off in a season where expectations are high, and that is certainly the case for Ole Miss this year.

While the vibes are positive among the team and staff, the Rebels look to prove they belong in the Top 10 this weekend as they begin their season against Furman on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.