Rebels head football coach Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss said to be offering the best situation to $3 million QB who could hit the transfer portal

FanSided’s Chris Landers believes Rebels head football coach Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss offer Arch Manning the best possible combination of resources if Texas QB entered the transfer portal.

“Lane Kiffin is always looking to make a splash in the portal, and with Jaxson Dart set to move on after 2024, there would be no bigger splash than Manning. Maybe Arch doesn’t want to follow in the footsteps of grandfather Archie and uncle Eli; the Rebels didn’t seem to be in the mix too much during his initial recruitment. But it took a little while for Kiffin to get things rolling in Oxford, and this season has been one hell of a proof of concept as to what his offense — and the Rebels’ ceiling overall — can look like with the right personnel,” Landers wrote.

“One thing’s for sure: We just have to look at this past portal class for evidence that few NIL operations run as smoothly as Ole Miss’ does right now. If Manning is open to coming to Mississippi, there will be few better combinations of a competitive roster, track record of QB development and financial incentives.”

Kiffin’s staff is “actively working” to flip 5-star Auburn QB commit Deuce Knight, a Lucedale, Mississippi native, to his 2025 class. Landing Knight may require a promise to play right away; one not dissimilar to what Julian Lewis received to commit to Colorado or what Bryce Underwood required to stay home in Michigan.

There’s probably not a reality where Knight and Manning end up in the same Rebels QB room. There’s likely little chance Manning will leave Texas. Even if Quinn Ewers returns to Austin, Manning might be the early favorite to be the Longhorns’ QB1 in 2025.

It’s still a fun thought, though. Kiffin has become a force in college football recruiting to be linked to Manning despite minimal interest in Mississippi during his initial recruitment out of high school.