Right now, Lane Kiffin is hitting the headlines for two reasons. First, for stirring the pot with his not so subtle jab towards Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze, trying his hand in golf while his program is under fire. Second, Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels have already tapped into some significant buzz of making it into the College Football Playoff in 2025.
While both these suggest that Kiffin might be in an easy-breezy mood, time to put down the rose-tinted glasses. The Ole Miss staff room is going through some serious chaos. While their Athletic Director, Keith Carter, will hold onto his seat for some time more, the month of July has been a curse for Kiffin. The Rebels lost key staffers, Alex Brown and Kelvin Bolden. Both the NFL and Kiffin’s SEC rival gifted him with tough times.
On July 9, Rebels insider Billy Embody reported Ole Miss athletics has secured the services of athletic director Carter for an extended time. He is getting a contract extension through 2029, the university announced July 10. As per the reports, he was earning $1.1 million annually in base pay in Kiffin’s program under the terms of his previous state and Ole Miss Athletic Foundation contracts. And this extension does not come off as surprising. Ole Miss Athletics has only witnessed highs ever since Carter took over in 2019. While other sports programs kept thriving under Carter, he made a special contribution to the football program.
News: Ole Miss AD Keith Carter’s contract extended through 2029, the university announced.
“Keith has elevated Ole Miss Athletics to new heights.”
Details: https://t.co/QNpwKMu3qu pic.twitter.com/KaovqmDZwF
— Billy Embody (@BillyEmbody) July 10, 2025
Having an eye for talent, he hired Kiffin as the Rebels’ football coach in 2020 and Chris Beard as the basketball coach in 2023. And the rest is history. In order to ensure that Kiffin’s boys get the best facility, he assisted in the completion of a $45 million renovation of the Olivia and Archie Manning Athletics Performance Center in 2023. Just when Kiffin might have let out a sigh of relief, having Carter for more time around, he had two heartbreaks in his coaching roster.
On July 10, Matt Zenitz reported, “The Atlanta Falcons are expected to hire Ole Miss director of player personnel Alex Brown, sources tell @CBSSports.”Brown’s loss will be a costly one for Kiffin. Brown arrived in the Magnolia State in 2024, where he made an instant impact on the Ole Miss coaching staff. Kiffin’s player personnel has been under NFL radar for quite some time now. After one season with the Rebels, Brown immediately received interest from NFL organizations. And finally, the Atlanta Falcons pulled the trigger. While Kiffin can still make peace with Brown’s leap to the pro league, he can’t get over the fact that he lost his key staffer to SEC rival LSU Tigers.
Brian Kelly has hired Ole Miss’ coordinator of recruiting strategy, Bolden, for a high-ranking role within the staff. This indeed has been a costly loss for Kiffin at a time when the 2026 recruiting class is taking shape. After all, who does it better than Bolden? He has been a part of the Ole Miss staff since 2022. Knowing the South well, he has helped Kiffin build Ole Miss’ recruiting strategy. One of the biggest wins Rebels has had in recruiting under Bolden has been the signing of Choctaw wide receiver Caleb Cunningham, the No. 1 player in Mississippi in the Class of 2025. Well, this is not the right time for Kiffin to afford losing Bolden. Their 2026 recruiting class is a mess right now.
Lane Kiffin’s 2026 recruiting drive has been all about costly losses
As per On3’s Kiffin’s Ole Miss stands at No.17 with only 13 recruits. They are yet to open the book for their 5-star recruits. While the Rebels must be concentrating on acing the recruiting game, they are busy locking the gates. Mark Bowman has been a hot commodity all throughout 2025 ever since he reclassified from the 2027 class to 2026. He had picked up enough buzz to be a five-star recruit two years from now, but decided to graduate early, getting to college a full year ahead of schedule.
Already giving away Brock Bowers vibes, Kiffin knew he had to hunt him down by hook or by crook. And they jumped into the race, earning the first official visit from the No.1 tight end in May. Kiffin lived under the hope of wooing the hot target since Ole Miss was the first program to offer Bowman at the start of his freshman season. The desperation to land the 6-foot-5, 225-pound TE was real since Kiffin wanted to fill Caden Prieskorn’s spot, who went off to the NFL. But poor Ole Miss! Bowman chose to dock his wagon at USC Trojans on May 31.
Well, woes were not over for Lane Kiffin. June brought in some more heartbreak. Even though the head coach has grown adept on the high school recruiting trail, he could not stop three-star quarterback Zion Legree from hitting the ‘FLIP’ button. The recruit who has been committed to Kiffin’s program since November 2024 reopened his recruitment. Lightning struck twice, as it was reported that the Rebels lost the commitment of their 2027 four-star offensive tackle Li’Marcus Jones. Kiffin’s next play? Replace lost lieutenants and supercharge his 2026 haul.
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