How Are Recruits Responding to Ole Miss Football Ahead of National Signing Day?

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin feels good about where his program is ahead of the Early Signing Day this week.

Nov 9, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin reacts near the end of the game during the second half against the Georgia Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Early National Signing Day for the 2025 recruiting cycle comes on Wednesday of this week, and the Ole Miss Rebels are hoping to wrap up an impressive class.

Ole Miss hosted multiple recruits over the weekend, including a flip target in five-star quarterback Deuce Knight. On Sunday, Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin was asked about the current mood surrounding the program from a recruiting perspective.

Needless to say, he thinks it's in a good place.

"From guys that were here, or even some guys played a game, so they came yesterday and today and have had great responses from them about where Ole Miss is and wanting to come here," Kiffin said. "We show them. Ole Miss since COVID, this has been a really cool place to play. Really good home environment, 25-3 at home.

"It's a lot to sell to recruits that we're not just doing well one year or because we have a good quarterback. We've been playing really well in the hardest conference in football with the third-best winning record."

The Rebels currently have 21 commits in their 2025 class, the crown jewel of which is in-state five-star wide receiver Caleb Cunningham. According to On3, Ole Miss' class currently ranks 16th nationally and 10th in the SEC.

That might not jump off the page compared to a few other programs, but Ole Miss has shown a willingness to go into the transfer portal since its advent and reel in some of the top talent available on the market. Whether that's the case again this year or not, it looks like this 2025 class will provide a solid base for the future at Ole Miss.

Of course, it helps that the Rebels now have a product to sell to these prospective players. When Lane Kiffin was hired at Ole Miss prior to the 2020 season, Ole Miss was coming off of a 4-8 season and had been mired in NCAA sanctions in the years prior. Now, the Rebels are 43-18 in Kiffin's five years at the helm, including a mark of 9-3 this season.

That record may not be enough to get Ole Miss into the College Football Playoff, but it does show a sustainable trajectory of success that recruits can buy into. And who knows? Perhaps some of these new faces could help lead the Rebels to the CFP in the years ahead. That's Kiffin's hope, anyway.