Lane Kiffin discusses how Ole Miss plans to utilize transfer linebacker Troy Brown

MACtion is coming to the SEC when Central Michigan transfer Troy Brown heads to Ole Miss this coming season. Considering the Rebels lost one of their top linebackers to the NFL, Lane Kiffin said he hopes Brown can help fill that void.

Chance Campbell — who also arrived at Ole Miss via the transfer portal — declared for the draft, leaving quite a hole at the linebacker position. Campbell had a team-high 109 tackles to go with 12.5 tackles for loss and six sacks this season to anchor the Rebels’ defense.

That’s a lot of production to replace, which is why Kiffin turned to the portal and brought Brown to Oxford.

“That was definitely a position of need with Chance leaving early and not a lot of numbers there at all at that position,” Kiffin told reporters. “So you see a lot of linebackers signed, whether it’s high school, whether it’s junior college, whether it’s a college transfer, to replace that production.”

In four years at Central Michigan, Brown had 212 tackles, 32.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and five interceptions for the Chippewas. Ole Miss fans hope that production continues this season when he suits up for the Rebels.

Lane Kiffin talks optimizing transfer portal for roster management

Lane Kiffin once proclaimed himself the “Portal King.” The Ole Miss coach passed the title on, but opened up about how he goes about using the portal to manage his roster this week.

When using the portal, Kiffin said it’s about balancing needs with the best talent the team can acquire. He added there’s no blueprint, so it’s all about being innovative as the transfer portal landscape evolves.

“There’s specific needs that you’re trying to do and then there’s also best available,” Kiffin told reporters. “The thing about it that’s strange, it’s not like grad transfers where those are positions of need immediately that you take. It may be a grad transfer, it may be someone that has four years to play. It’s very unique and challenging to figure that out.

“There’s no evidence of how to do it and what’s worked, so we’re just trying to be cutting edge in how we’re doing that and putting together our roster.”

Ole Miss has landed 14 transfers this offseason, including former USC quarterback Jaxson Dart, who was the No. 2 transfer in the portal, according to the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings. The Rebels also got Zach Evans — On3’s No. 7-ranked transfer — to come in from TCU, as well as two more Top-50 transfers: Ladarius Tennison (No. 22) and Michael Trigg (No. 38.)