Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin have finalized a contract extension fresh off the program’s second-ever 10-win regular season, both of which have come under Kiffin. The Rebels have a chance to pick up their first 11-win season in program history on Dec. 30 in the Peach Bowl showdown against No. 10 Penn State.
No details of the extension have been released; however, Mississippi can only offer four-year contracts to state employees.
“Our football program is experiencing unprecedented success under Coach Kiffin, and we could not be more excited about what the future holds under his leadership,” Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter said in a statement. “In just four years, he has established our team as a sustained winner that is on a trajectory to championship status. With our continued investment in the program and the tremendous support of the Grove Collective, the Ole Miss family is committed to providing Coach Kiffin the resources needed to compete at an elite level.”
Kiffin’s coaching star has been on the rise — and his name often gets thrown around for big coaching vacancies — since a couple of lackluster stops at Tennessee and USC in the early 2010s. He’s completely revitalized his career at Ole Miss, amassing a 33-15 career record while leading the Rebels to four-straight bowl games. That includes two New Year’s Six bowls in the past three years, making him just the third coach since Johnny Vaught to accomplish that feat. He was also responsible for Ole Miss’ first 10-win regular season when the Rebels finished 10-3 in 2021. Ole Miss also went undefeated at home in 2021 and 2023.
Rebels gearing up for 2024 CFP run
It’s clear that Ole Miss is looking to take full advantage of the expanded College Football Playoff’s first year. Kiffin was one of the first coaches to fully embrace the NCAA’s new transfer rules — he’s taken at least 18 transfers in each full cycle since the one-time eligibility waiver was introduced — but even then he’s taking it to another level this year.
Ole Miss’ 2024 class, which boasts 10 commits, currently ranks No. 1 in 247Sports’ transfer rankings. Five of those 10 commits grade out as four stars, including the top two edge rushers in Princely Umanmielen (Florida) and Tyler Baron (Tennessee) and the No. 2 wide receiver in ex-South Carolina star Antwane Wells.
The Rebels’ schedule next season lines up well. Ole Miss’ nonconference slate is extremely manageable, with its toughest test coming against a Wake Forest team that finished 4-8 in 2023. Kiffin’s squad gets a home draw against arguably its toughest two conference opponents (Oklahoma and Georgia), and though the Rebels have to play LSU on the road there’s no telling what the Tigers will look like without Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels.
Kiffin is loading up to make a deep run next season. With the way things have played out so far, the Rebels will be a favorite to make the final 12-team field and reach heights the program hasn’t touched in the modern era.
