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Nick Saban Shares Thoughts On Lane Kiffin's Transfer Portal Strategy at Ole Miss

The Alabama head coach is complementary of the job his former offensive coordinator has done in Oxford.

Lane Kiffin has been dubbed the "Portal King" for a reason.

Kiffin landed 17 players out of the transfer portal prior to the 2022 season, including five-star players Zach Evans and Jaxson Dart, both of whom have made massive impacts in the Ole Miss Rebels offense this season. On Wednesday, Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban shared his thoughts on Kiffin's success in the portal ahead of their meeting on the field this Saturday.

"I think it creates a lot of parity relative to how fast you can rebuild a team," Saban said. "I think you could go through all the teams that we play, and they have significant players that have come in from the transfer portal. And Ole Miss certainly has significant players. 

"LSU had significant players last week that made their team better. It’s almost like can you only build your team in the draft, or is there such a thing as free agency now in college football? For years, NFL teams used both of those things to help build their teams, and I think some teams are doing that. Some teams probably need to do it more than others."

This week's game between Ole Miss and Alabama has large implications in the SEC West race as well as the College Football Playoff Rankings. The Rebels enter the game ranked No. 11 in the poll, and Alabama comes in at No. 9. 

Kickoff between the Rebels and the Tide is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, and the game will be televised on CBS.


You can follow John Macon on Twitter at @JMakeGillespie.

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