The Ole Miss Rebels played a very high profiled game this past weekend against the Georgia Bulldogs on the road in Athens and came out with a disappointing 52-17 loss. The loss ended a six-game winning streak for the Rebels and head coach Lane Kiffin, but still puts them at an impressive 8-2 on the year.
However, the loss showed that the Rebels who have forever been viewed by many as a level below the SEC perennial powers like Georgia, Alabama and LSU continue to be just that.
In the NIL era, the separation between Ole Miss and the top tier SEC teams was no more transparent than this past Saturday against the Bulldogs. Not only did fans notice, but Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin appears to have noticed as well.
In his post-game interview, Kiffin went on record saying, “We got to recruit at a higher level…we’ve signed one five star. Georgia signed 24.” Kiffin is a coach known for his subtle-subliminal undertone when it comes to his comments. And this is viewed by many to be nothing different.
Kiffin also pointed out in his interview that although they have to coach better, at the end of the day the number of five star players really does matter.
Speaking to the NIL era, its known that since 2022 when NIL first came about, the amount of money that a player can make, as well as the amount of money as school can pay them to go there matters. And nothing matters more at Ole Miss than football, which is no different than many SEC schools. Unfortunately for Ole Miss, their budget is not that of some other SEC powers such as LSU, Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Texas A&M.
Why the Texas A&M Aggies make sense for Lane Kiffin
With the Texas A&M job being open due to the firing of Jimbo Fisher combined with Kiffin’s post-game comments, this is projected by many to be an ideal landing spot for Kiffin to take the next step in his coaching career. Texas A&M is a university that has a lot more funding and resources than Ole Miss, and could help Kiffin to get those ever-elusive five stars that he was referring to after the Rebels loss to the Bulldogs this past Saturday.
According to The Athletic, Texas A&M’s athletic department made $193 million in 2022. College Factual reported that Ole Miss’s athletic department made $98 million in 2022. This is a telling $95 million dollar difference in which Texas A&M has the advantage. And with advantage comes better players.
For these reasons, the loss to the Bulldogs, the amount the Rebels lost by combined with Kiffin’s post-game comments could be a sign that the Rebels may be looking for a new coach in 2024 if Kiffin decides to part for those coveted resources in College Station.