Lane Kiffin Believes Ole Miss' Egg Bowl Dominance Has Led to In-State Recruiting Wins

The Ole Miss Rebels have won four out of the last five games against Mississippi State, and Lane Kiffin believes that is paying dividends on the recruiting trail.

Nov 29, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels players react with the Egg Bowl trophy after the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images | Matt Bush-Imagn Images

Since Lane Kiffin arrived in Oxford as the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels, his program has seemed to have a leg up in the Egg Bowl rivalry against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Ole Miss is 4-1 against State since Kiffin's first year in 2020, and that paired with multiple double-digit-win seasons has seemed to pay off for the Rebels on the recruiting trail, especially with in-state players.

Although Ole Miss lost a flip commitment in linebacker Tyler Lockhart on Wednesday night in a wild saga, Kiffin and the Rebels still managed to reel in some of the top pieces in Mississippi in the 2025 class, including the top player (per 247Sports) in wide receiver Caleb Cunningham.

"For the third year in a row, we signed the No. 1 player in the state, which is huge," Kiffin said.

"Like I said, I think there are a number of factors there," he said on in-state recruiting success. "We've been dominant over their time basically in Egg Bowls. Between us and State, the programs have been extremely different. I'm not taking any shots. The wins and losses since we've been here of the two programs are dramatically different and very different directions that the programs are heading in."

Since 2020, Ole Miss owns a 43-18 record, good enough to make the Rebels the third-winningest program in the SEC in that span. Mississippi State, by comparison, is 27-34, thanks in large part to a 2-10 campaign this fall.

"I think they see that, so that knocks out State in that for the kids," Kiffin said. "I think more kids now stay here where before they were leaving because they felt, 'Okay, I've got to go to LSU, Alabama, Auburn because I want a chance to be able to win more.' Now, they've seen that you can do that here."

Still, Mississippi State did pull off some recruiting wins within the Magnolia State this cycle. In 247's top 12 Mississippi prospects, the Bulldogs snagged three of those players. Ole Miss was able to land five, and Auburn, LSU and Florida State landed one apiece.

"I think the staff has done a good job," Kiffin said. "[Coordinator of recruiting strategy] Kelvin Bolden has a lot of connections here. He's done a really good job with in-state players, getting them on campus here and developing relationships."