CFB world reacts to $14 million worth Lane Kiffin's latest luxurious post showcasing Bentley: "Nice rental" "Recruiting tool"

Ole Miss Rebels coach Lane Kiffin has had a slightly confusing relationship with the transfer portal. He has often criticized the way it is structured but has taken great advantage of it to recruit experience at the elite level.

It's a different ball game in college sports with the advent of NIL. Both coaches and players are still learning how to navigate around the issue, considering aspects like NIL collectives and signing-on bonuses.

Most recently, the $14 million-worth Kiffin (as per Celebrity Net Worth) posted a picture on Instagram of a new, luxurious Bentley. It was interpreted as a signal to potential recruits that there was NIL money to be had at Ole Miss.

Kiffin captioned the post:

"Champs."

The comment section of the post was a mixed bag of college football fans debating the intentions of the post.

Kiffin's IG comment section

Kiffin's IG comment section

Kiffin's IG comment section

Pressure on Lane Kiffin after portal activity

Lane Kiffin has led the Ole Miss Rebels to two consecutive 10-win seasons and has generally done a decent job with the team. But with his portal recruitment success, the pressure is on him to ascend to another level.

The 2024 season is the first one where the expanded 12-team college football playoff will be implemented. As a result, the pressure is on some of the overachieving underdogs to be in contention and Ole Miss is at the front of the queue.

The scrutiny on Lane Kiffin was magnified after ESPN published a report placing him and his quarterback Jaxson Dart among the coaches and players to watch next season.

“The Lane Train is never boring, but he recently has added more substance to the entertainment factor,” the ESPN report stated. “After two AP top-12 finishes in the past three seasons, Ole Miss made a significant push in the portal/NIL space and should deliver a team capable of earning the school's first CFP berth.”

Combustive ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum also placed the spotlight firmly on Kiffin during an appearance on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning.

"It’ll be a failure. This is what he has been building towards, this is what he has been talking about,” Finebaum said. “A couple of years ago, things did not look great from an NIL standpoint. He was able to reverse that. He aced the portal – everyone knows what he has got this year. He’s got one of the more experienced quarterbacks in the league and around the country.”

"So, I’m not sugarcoating it – it would be a complete and total failure if Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss don’t make the playoffs.”

Lane Kiffin has recruited so well and raised expectations for the Rebels to a point where his underdog status is now being used against him. Next season, the noise will only be amplified.