Ole Miss Rebels HC Lane Kiffin targeting dynamic duo of elite offensive recruits as he logs an important visit
Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels are having to completely revamp their roster after sending a stunning number of stars to the 2025 NFL Draft this spring. Quarterback Jaxson Dart. The majority of their starting defense. All gone.So what now?For starters, the Transfer Portal King himself, Lane Kiffin, has been absolutely dominating the talent […]
Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels are having to completely revamp their roster after sending a stunning number of stars to the 2025 NFL Draft this spring. Quarterback Jaxson Dart. The majority of their starting defense. All gone.
So what now?
For starters, the Transfer Portal King himself, Lane Kiffin, has been absolutely dominating the talent acquisition battle this offseason. Early returns look like Ole Miss will have the first or second best transfer class among all FBS teams this recruiting cycle. But Kiffin is also looking ahead to the future so Ole Miss can consistently take shots at making the College Football Playoff, not relying completely on the portal.
Kiffin made an important recruiting visit on Friday to a dynamic duo that he and the Rebels are targeting for both 2026 and 2027. Highly ranked four stars in quarterback Landon Duckworth and running back Ezavier Crowell, teammates at Jackson High School in Jackson, Alabama, are two of the most coveted talents in the nation. And they're both clearly major priorities for Kiffin and his staff.
Landon Duckworth has been locked in as a top tier talent at quarterback for multiple years now, but just put together an impressive 50+ touchdown season last fall, further solidifying his elite recruiting status.
Ezavier Crowell is perceived to be perhaps an even greater talent having secured 30+ scholarship offers already and he's only halfway through his sophomore year of high school. Crowell has racked up over 4000 yards from scrimmage and 60 touchdowns over the last two seasons as a freshman and sophomore and could very well end up with a five star rating by the time he's a senior.
Lane Kiffin has already visited with Ezavier Crowell in the past, so his investment in his next Quinshon Judkins level running back recruit is no surprise. However, Ole Miss has not been quite as tied to Landon Duckworth throughout his recruiting journey.
Yes, Austin Simmons, the phenom genius multi-sport athlete is set to replace Jaxson Dart at quarterback for 2025 and perhaps 2026. But after that Lane Kiffin clearly wants to diversify his options. Ole Miss currently does not have any quarterback commits among the 2025 freshman recruiting class. And while the Rebels do have offers out for 2026, no quarterback has committed just yet.
Lane Kiffin and company may be able to secure Ryder Lyons, a five star from California at quarterback for 2026, but if they do miss out on him they'll want to make sure they have a strong back up plan. It looks like Duckworth is that target after this weekend's visit.
We'll be back with more Ole Miss Rebels coverage here at A to Z Sports all year long! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
And if you want to check out some of Ezavier Crowell's Sophomore Season Highlights you can find those in the video below to see what he might bring to Ole Miss if Lane Kiffin can work his recruiting magic!
