Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin Lands Outside Top 10 Of CBS Sports CFB Power Four Head Coach Rankings

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin has used the transfer portal in his favor to land countless top-tier prospects across the country, but that wasn't enough to transport him to the latest top 10 list among active coaches.

Kiffin remained idle for the second consecutive year at No. 14 in CBS Sports' annual Power Four coaches rankings heading into the 2024 season. Despite setting a program record of 11 wins in 2023, the outlet still is looking to see more from the fifth-year coach before placing him along other risers like Texas' Steve Sarkisian and Oregon's Dan Lanning.

Listen, Lane, I know you're reading this, but please don't take this personally. I don't get why you're annually ranked higher than some of the other coaches in these rankings. Kiffin is a top-25 coach, but the top 15 feels like too much. Kiffin won two conference titles at FAU but had a 5-7 season sandwiched in between. In nine seasons at Power Five schools, he's never won a division title, let alone a conference. That said, Ole Miss is coming off an 11-win season and has absolutely crushed it in the portal this offseason. There's a reasonable buzz about the Rebels earning a playoff berth this year. But, if they don't and Lane is still ranked this highly next year, my colleagues and I will have words.
CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli on Kiffin

While Fornelli has a point in terms of his accolades, Kiffin's been one of the league's more consistent coaches since arriving in Oxford. He's 34-15 overall and 20-13 over four seasons. He's also the only coach to win 10-plus regular season games in program history.

Since 2021, Ole Miss has the third-most wins among SEC programs, trailing only Georgia and Alabama. At 29-10, Kiffin owns a program record for the best three-year stretch since 1960-62. And every year, the numbers have improved both on the field and in the recruiting market.

Dec 30, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin celebrates after a | Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Not to mention, the Rebels are riding high following their Peach Bowl victory over No. 8 Penn State, and return Heisman-caliber quarterback Jaxson Dart, receiver Tre Harris, defensive lineman Jared Ivey and others. The Rebels also landed premier transfers in defensive lineman Walter Nolen (Texas A&M) and receiver Juice Wells (South Carolina), among others.

According to 247Sports, Kiffin portaled in the No. 1 transfer class for the 2024 offseason. They are only expected to grow off their 11-win season and remain in the hunt for the College Football Playoff.

If it's any consolation prize, Kiffin came in as the No. 5 ranked head coach among 2024 SEC leaders, trailing Georgia's Kirby Smart (No. 1), LSU's Brian Kelly (No. 4), Sarkisian (No. 5) and Alabama's Kalen Deboer (No. 7). Three of the four coaches have played for national titles while all four have guided programs — Kelly at Notre Dame and DeBoer at Washington —to College Football Playoff appearances.

The Rebels open up the 2024 season at home against FCS Furman on Aug. 31.