Ole Miss recruiting hype is mere wishful thinking in SEC

Before talks of Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin’s potential JT Daniels pull really heat up, let’s remember where the Rebels belong in the SEC hierarchy.

According to journalist Jon Sokoloff on Twitter, Ole Miss Rebels HC Lane Kiffin met with Georgia products JT Daniels and Jermaine Burton in Athens yesterday. This may sound like a big deal, as both talents are currently in the transfer portal.

However, while this feels like the foundation is being set for a blockbuster move, let’s pump the brakes on what exactly these two acquisitions would mean for Ole Miss in the grand scheme of things.

Sure, a QB/WR combo such as Daniels and Burton would look good for the Rebels, as it would add to the list of what all Kiffin has done to make the Rebels a contender in the SEC. The kicker comes in at asking just how much of a contender they really are/would be.

Upon reading Sokoloff’s tweet, many were questioning the capabilities of Daniels, as he’s had a very shaky collegiate career so far by failing to find a rhythm at both USC and Georgia. But what they should be questioning is how anyone could expect the Rebels to even make it out of their conference at all, regardless of who’s leading the offense.

This last season saw the Southeastern Conference make some media buzz for only having one of its 14 teams miss the mark for bowl eligibility. With the outlier (Vanderbilt) being a name from the Eastern half of the league, that means that all of Ole Miss’s divisional counterparts are bowl teams entering next season.

Some of those counterparts include Alabama, Texas A&M, LSU, and Arkansas. Bama has the greatest coach of all time in Nick Saban while being 1-1 in the last two national title games. As for Texas A&M, they have a title-winning coach in Jimbo Fisher and what is currently the best recruiting class in the country.

All of that goes without even mentioning that LSU was an NFL factory on an annual basis before bringing in Brian Kelly and that Sam Pittman has made the Razorbacks a NY6-caliber football program.

Lastly, looking at what else 2022 has in store for the Rebels, we see both a visit to ACC power Georgia Tech and a matchup with Kentucky (who has also been made a winner in recent memory thanks to head coach Mark Stoops).

In short, there appear to be too many landmines for the hypothetical snatching of two players to overcome. As good as the “package deal” might be, Ole Miss wouldn’t be winning much more with Daniels and Burton. But at least it can be assumed that the Rebels would still be a formidable bunch without them.