Last college football season saw the Ole Miss Rebels make the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history. Unfortunately, the Rebels’ playoff run was a controversial one, as Lane Kiffin and several other members of the coaching staff departed the program prior to the Playoff beginning to join the LSU Tigers, where Kiffin was hired to replace Brian Kelly.

Many felt that it was unprofessional and disrespectful for Kiffin to leave Ole Miss so abruptly, especially with the Rebels still competing for a national title at the time. However, Kiffin, who signed a $91 million contract to lead LSU, recently spoke to Vanity Fair about his decision, and had some interesting insights into what went the choice.

“Kiffin also seems willing to indirectly invoke Ole Miss’s struggle to distance itself from symbols like the Confederate flag,” VF’s Chris Smith wrote after speaking with Kiffin.

Per Smith, Kiffin said that Ole Miss’s ties to the confederacy led to recruiting challenges.

“Hey, coach, we really like you. But my grandparents aren’t letting me move to Oxford, Mississippi,” one recruit reportedly said.

“That doesn’t come up when you say Baton Rouge, Louisiana,” Kiffin said. “Parents were sitting here this weekend saying the campus’s diversity feels so great: ‘It feels like there’s no segregation. And we want that for our kid because that’s the real world.’”

There’s no denying that even without the challenges that he had to overcome at Ole Miss, LSU has an abundance of resources that most programs across the country have no chance to rival. However, between the timing of his exit and the massive contract he signed, the pressure is on Kiffin like never before. Only time will tell if he or LSU made the right choice.

The post Lane Kiffin hints at Ole Miss’ connection to Confederacy while explaining decision to leave appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.

The wild world of recruiting always moves quick once dominoes start to fall. As we head into the summer and official visit season, that’s once again evident by looking at the top-end prospects in the 2027 cycle.

As of May 10, there are already 19 five-stars — according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies — off the board. Those 19 commitments have dispersed among 11 college programs.

Six schools have landed multiple five-stars thus far. Rivals is breaking down the programs that have won out for five-star talent two or more times early on this cycle:

Texas A&M

Mike Elko and the Aggies are well-positioned to land the No. 1 class in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. That’s a bold claim to make with the December signing period still over six months away, but it’s easy to make when looking at the top of Texas A&M’s haul.

The Aggies have now landed four five-stars, two more than any other program to date.

November brought a pair of them in safety Kamarui Dorsey and cornerback Raylaun Henry, both of whom were four-stars upon committing and have since acquired that coveted fifth star. Dorsey is now the No. 11 overall prospect and top-ranked safety, while Henry now sits at No. 30 overall and No. 5 at corner.

At the end of March, EDGE Zyron Forstall made a surprise pledge to A&M, sparking a big run of spring pledges that helped lead to interior offensive lineman Kennedy Brown jumping in the boat last month. Forstall is the No. 19 recruit and No. 2 EDGE, while Brown checks in as the No. 15 recruit and No. 2 IOL.

Those four headline a class that features three more top-100 recruits and 13 commits in total.

Texas Tech

The emergence of Texas Tech on the blue-chip recruiting trail has turned heads. The Red Raiders are currently set to bring the nation’s No. 1 overall prospect to Lubbock next year.

Five-Star Plus+ defensive lineman Jalen Brewster opted not to waste any time and committed to in-state TTU back in early October. He’s remained locked in, though plenty of other programs have continued to push and are receiving official visits.

Flanking Brewster atop the nation’s No. 2 class is EDGE Anthony Sweeney. The elite disruptor out of St. Frances Academy in Baltimore committed last month and is now the No. 21 recruit and No. 3 EDGE in the cycle.

Ohio State

The last time Ohio State didn’t sign multiple five-stars was the 2024 cycle. Ryan Day and Co. have a pair in the mix early on this time around.

Wide receiver Jamier Brown is a tailor-made Ohio State recruit. The local five-star pass-catcher made a very early commitment to the Buckeyes back on Nov. 23, 2024. He’s remained rock-solid and says his recruitment is shut down. Brown is the No. 20 prospect and No. 3 WR in the cycle.

One of the biggest surprises of the cycle saw the Buckeyes beat out Miami for EDGE David “DJ” Jacobs. The Hurricanes were considered the favorites in the hours leading up to Jacobs’ Dec. 29 decision, but a late pivot saw Ohio State land the nation’s No. 4 recruit and top-ranked pass-rusher. His recruitment remains one to monitor until National Signing Day.

Miami

Fresh off an appearance in the College Football Playoff national championship game, Miami is rolling on the recruiting trail and currently has the nation’s No. 5 class. It also just landed the latest five-star decision.

Cornerback Donte Wright was pledged to Georgia for months, but the Hurricanes were one of a few teams in heavy pursuit of a flip. He pulled the trigger on that flip and locked in with Mario Cristobal and Co. this weekend and now headlines the class as the No. 8 recruit and No. 2 corner in the nation.

Miami went out to California to land Wright, but it barely had to travel to land five-star wide receiver Nick Lennear. The Carol City standout committed in March and has seen his stock soar ahead of a big senior season. He’s the No. 5 WR in the cycle.

LSU

Lane Kiffin is building his first recruiting class at LSU and there’s a pair of five-stars in the class early on, highlighting what’s currently a top-10 haul.

The addition of defensive line coach Sterling Lucas paid immediate dividends as he helped the Tigers land EDGE Jaiden Bryant back in January. The one-time South Carolina lean is locked in with Lucas and now ranks as the No. 4 EDGE in the cycle.

Earlier this month, tight end Ahmad Hudson made a surprise pledge to the in-state Tigers. The No. 16 recruit and top-ranked TE has long had LSU at the top of his process, and instead of announcing a commitment date and building up his decision, he opted not to waste any time and made his decision public on May 3. Hudson also doubles as a blue-chip basketball prospect and plans to play both sports at the next level.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma has the No. 3 class in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings and its two biggest wins of the cycle thus far came on the same day back in September.

Five-star offensive tackle Cooper Hackett originally committed to Texas Tech, but OU stayed on the prowl and flipped him away on Sept. 25. Hackett told Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong that he took “a good chunk less” on the NIL front in choosing the Sooners. He’s the No. 17 recruit and No. 2 OT in the cycle.

Touted Oklahoma O-line coach Bill Bedenbaugh wasn’t done that day, either. Tackle Kaeden Penny is the No. 2 prospect in the Sooner State and he’s set to stay close to home. Penny committed as a four-star and has since acquired five-star status, now checking in as the No. 4 OT overall.