Ole Miss looks to make it another double-digit win season when they face Duke in the Taxslayer Gator Bowl, another defining moment in the Lane Kiffin era. The CFPs may have slipped through their fingers, but it was another excellent season for the Rebels.
What about the 2024 season? What were the defining moments for the Ole Miss and its players this past season? Let's take a look at some of those.
Ole Miss dominate the transfer portal
Before the season started, the transfer portal was an explosion of madness. It was the busiest period since the rules changed a few years earlier, with thousands of players entering the portal. Ole Miss was one team that took advantage of the mayhem.
Lane Kiffin isn't a fan of the rules, but he also knows that you should get on board with them until they change. He did just that last season, bringing in the number one-ranked transfer portal class. It was his third consecutive top-three class, but easily the best one.
Kiffin went all in, adding to the talent he had stacked from previous seasons. Jaxson Dart, Tre Harris, Caden Prieskorn, and Jordan Watkins were heading into their final seasons, and the "The Last Dance" roster started to come together.
It was the defensive side of the ball where the recruiting excited the fans. Top SEC talent in Walter Nolen, Princely Umanmielen, Chris Paul Jr., and Trey Amos help change the narrative around the defense in 2024.
All the defensive players will likely be day 1 or 2 draft picks, impacting Ole Miss's future. Players will see that the staff can help develop them further before they head to the next level, a defining moment for the program.