Walter Nolen's statement after committing to Ole Miss could come back to haunt Lane Kiffin
The Ole Miss Rebels made another huge addition to their roster via the NCAA transfer portal by landing former five-star defensive lineman Walter Nolen this week. Nolen announced his transfer from Texas A&M to Ole Miss on Christmas Eve. Ole Miss has dominated the portal this offseason. Nolen is the biggest addition, but he's far […]
The Ole Miss Rebels made another huge addition to their roster via the NCAA transfer portal by landing former five-star defensive lineman Walter Nolen this week.
Nolen announced his transfer from Texas A&M to Ole Miss on Christmas Eve.
Ole Miss has dominated the portal this offseason. Nolen is the biggest addition, but he's far from the only impressive transfer that Kiffin has added to the Rebels' roster. Juice Wells, Tyler Baron, Key Lawrence, and Princely Umanmielen are some of the other headliners in the Rebels' current top rated 2024 portal class.
Of course, with the impressive portal additions comes big expectations for Kiffin in 2024.
And a comment that Nolen made after committing to the Rebels this week highlights just how intense that pressure will be for Kiffin next fall.
“Ain’t nobody stopping Ole Miss but Ole Miss,” said Nolen to 247Sports. “If you look on paper you can already see the team. I think they’re going to be something serious."
If that's the feeling in Oxford — and it should be since Kiffin's portal additions should have an instant-payoff for the program next fall — then anything less than a College Football Playoff appearance next season will be a colossal letdown for Ole Miss (especially with the expanded 12-team playoff).
And honestly, just an appearance in the playoff might not be enough success to justify the amount of cash that Ole Miss spent on NIL deals to land this class. The Rebels need to be one of the final four teams. And after hearing Nolen's statement, if Ole Miss doesn't make it that far, then it means that Kiffin massively failed in his job as the Rebels' head coach.
It's all set up for Ole Miss to make a major run next season. They have a favorable schedule with no matchup against Alabama and their of two toughest games — against Oklahoma and Georgia — coming at home. The Rebels have to play LSU in Baton Rouge, but outside of those three games, Ole Miss has it relatively easy.
If Ole Miss makes a run and reaches the final four of the playoff next season, then all of the money that was lavishly spent on transfers will be worth it. But if they don't, which according to Nolen will mean that Ole Miss stopped Ole Miss, then Kiffin will have a lot of explaining to do to the Rebels' collectives about why he squandered all of the talent that's been purchased this offseason.
Kiffin is undoubtedly the portal king, but he's soon going to found out that heavy is the head that wears the crown.
Bob Stoops comments on Josh Heupel’s return to Oklahoma when Vols take on Sooners in 2024
Josh Heupel’s return to Norman will be one of the biggest moments of the 2024 season
