Lane Kiffin Makes Big Moves in Response to Ole Miss’ Predicted Dominance for SEC Title Over Alabama

The Ole Miss Rebels, who have long been waiting for some push to upgrade their O-line, possibly have an edge over the Alabama Crimson Tide. With an aim to bring the SEC title home, the Rebels have made two big moves. An Ole Miss fan shared these latest developments on X.

Kenneth Boston and Taren Hedrick have moved to Lane Kiffin’s program. On May 10, Jesse Simonton from On3 came up with a list of the Top 10 offensive line units in college football and Ole Miss came in at the tail end of the list. So, can the Rebels’ offensive line make a difference in the race for the 2024 SEC title?

Kiffin makes bold moves in O-line

The Ole Miss fan’s tweet on June 10 hints at a huge possibility. The Rebels landed their 11th commitment on the afternoon of Sunday, June 9. The fan’s tweet showed a three-star offensive tackle, Hendrick, posing with head coach Lane Kiffin; he himself announced his pledge to Ole Miss on social media. He tweeted, “1000% committed HOTTY TODDY.” The Columbia, Mo., native is rated as the No. 38 offensive tackle in the 2025 cycle and the No. 78 player in the state of Florida.

Even though John Garrison, the Rebels’ offensive line coach, has been seen posing with 6-8, 315-pound tackle commit Boston, there is limited information available about him. It’s not that anyone was hiding this giant of a man with SEC abilities, but since he belongs to rural America, his talents often failed to gain exposure. It was Kiffin who scouted through talent and offered him the role on Wednesday, June 5. On receiving the offer, Boston shut it down with an emotional reaction to Garrison. The urge to make changes in the O-line gathered momentum after Andy Staples’ analysis on the On3 podcast.     

Kiffin’s blueprint for nontraditional powers

According to Staples’ predictions, there lies a high possibility of Kiffin’s program giving a tough call to Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama. To paint a clearer picture, the analyst further pointed out, “The Rebels are plus 650 to win the SEC that’s the third-best odds. Georgia’s plus 185, Texas is plus 310 at FanDuel. Alabama is plus 950 like Ole Miss has better odds to win the SEC than Alabama.” Going by the current standings, the Rebels now have the No. 9 class in the SEC and the No. 15 class in the nation.

But for much of the last decade, the unit has essentially objectively been the worst offensive unit on the field for the program. With this, Ole Miss’ 2025 class is taking shape rather quickly. The Rebels have assembled a roster full of impactful transfers and if these moves work in Kiffin’s favor, it will provide a road map to nontraditional powers and will be a cakewalk in taking over Crimson Tide. The class is headlined by four-star running back Ayklin Dear and four-star receiver Jerome Myles. Kiffin has also added Southern Miss transfer Gerquan Scott and North Carolina bookend Diego Pounds to the roster. 

Ole Miss’s high-scoring attack will be propelled by a veteran offensive line featuring a mixture of returning starters comprising guard Jeremy James and tackle Micah Pettus on one hand. On the other hand, some quality internal options include Jayden Williams and Victor Curne. Will the recent changes in Kiffin’s squad usher in positive results?