Ole habits die hard. The Ole Miss Rebels’ traversal each season under HC Lane Kiffin has become a bit of a modern tradition in the negative sense. Every year, they’ll blow out relatively weak programs at the outset. Then go on a run, generating fanfare. Stutter against a good team. Then, pick it up again and perhaps even upset a blueblood. All this before falling short towards the end in an anticlimactic manner. It is a cyclic process that has repeated once again this season. 

The Rebels were left stranded on the periphery of the CFP. Owing to this, Kiffin and the powers that be are seeking to break this chain. They’re hitting the transfer portal extensively as a means to spark some change and retool. The program’s attempts to escape the proverbial “Mississippi Mud” have so far been a mixed bag. Certain outgoings have offset the new players they’ve acquired. Lane Kiffin’s latest foray sees him targeting the no.3 overall player traversing the portal.

As per the expert on all things recruitment, Pete Nakos, Ole Miss are in the fray for RB Makhi Hughes. This development comes off the back of them already onboarding Kewan Lacey in the backfield. But with all due respect, Hughes is a different kettle of fish. He boasts successive 1000-yard seasons at Tulane, to go with 22 touchdowns. In terms of total yardage, Makhi Hughes is poised to be 2nd highest in the FBS heading into next season.

For an offense losing QB1 Jaxson Dart, as well as other skill-position players, Hughes will be a major coup. In tandem with an offensive genius like Lane Kiffin, it’s compelling to think just how much the running game will ascend. In a video on the ROC Boys Football YouTube channel, host Jason Piacelli said, “[Makhi Hughes is] probably the name that I’ve been looking at, in terms of if you want to find a true RB1… I’m a fan of it.”

Unfortunately for Lane Kiffin, his path to this recruitment isn’t linear. Nakos reported Duke and Colorado as adversaries in the race. However, perhaps a more substantial, and certainly a more successful, program has reportedly been flirting with the idea of Makhi Hughes. An interest that stems from a facet beyond his talent or fit, which could potentially tip the balance.

The Oregon Ducks hold a trump card which Lane Kiffin needs to be wary of

National Signing Day is like a spin-off episode sandwiched between the canon of the soap opera that is CFB. This season’s episode was an instant classic if you’re of an Oregon Ducks persuasion. The Ducks were pulling oxymoronic rabbits out of their hats on Signing Day. Dan Lanning’s class was at the epicenter of the drama. In the biggest shock of the evening, Oregon bolstered their already stellar secondary when they flipped 5-star cornerback Na’eem Offord from Auburn.

This last-minute head-swaying is relevant because Offord is the younger brother of Makhi Hughes. A reunion will surely be an enticing prospect. This isn’t sensationalism, either. Oregon insider Justin Hopkins, owner of ScoopDuck, has explicitly stated Oregon is considering the move. “To date [in this portal cycle], Oregon has not really pursued any running backs with much effort. They’ve been casually linked to a couple names but have yet to make any real push. I would keep tabs on Hughes given this relationship and his success at Tulane the last two seasons.” he said. 

Ole Miss has mortgaged some of their future in terms of investment and borrowed from it to improve now. The team invested heavily in past iterations of the transfer portal. The roster has a plethora of NFL-caliber talent, but they’re watching the playoffs like the rest of us. From their couch. The window for Lane Kiffin to build a contender is closing, and he’ll need to land talent of Makhi Hughes’ ilk to sustain the offense post-Jaxson Dart’s departure to the NFL.