by Kendle King, 11th
“Different than what we had to do in the state of Mississippi.”
These were former Ole Miss head coach and current LSU head coach Lane Kiffin’s words when comparing the high school football talent in Louisiana to the talent in Mississippi. Louisiana has been known as a hotbed for football talent as long as football has been a thing. Lane Kiffin was correct in his implication that Louisiana produces elite talent. But how does Mississippi compare?
High school recruiting services such as 247sports, On3, Rivals, and ESPN group talent from one to five stars, with only 32 of 1 million high school football players having the prestigious honor of being considered 5 star recruits. For the Class of 2026, Louisiana had two 5 star recruits, including ATH Lamar Brown from Baton Rouge and DL Richard Anderson from New Orleans. Mississippi produced two 5 stars as well, with WR Tristen Keys from Hattiesburg and S Bralan Womack from Flowood both being considered 5 star recruits. In terms of 4 stars—recruits who are not projected as NFL first round draft picks but still considered elite prospects who will play on Sundays—Louisiana had 13 and Mississippi had 15. Mississippi has more “blue chip” recruits (4 or 5 star recruits), but Lane Kiffin’s words imply otherwise.
2026 is not the only year that the state of Mississippi produced blue chip recruits. For the past decade, Mississippi has consistently produced elite football talent, with 2026, 2025, 2023, 2019, 2017, and 2016 all containing at least one 5 star recruit. That production isn’t limited to just sending people to college teams, either.
When it comes to producing NFL players, Louisiana and Mississippi rank 2nd and 3rd respectively when it comes to NFL production per capita. Mississippi has been known to produce elite defensive linemen and running backs, whereas Louisiana is known for their wide receivers and offensive linemen. Regardless of position, both states have made great contributions to the college football scene.
The issue isn’t that Kiffin didn’t have the same talent pool in Mississippi, the issue is that he failed to build connections with elite talent, especially in the 2020s. Lane Kiffin’s past of lying to schools and leaving them for more money follows him like a shadow, and the falsehoods coming out of his mouth won’t ever change that—but his comments can impact the way that people view athletes coming out of Mississippi.