Fans of Ole Miss and Missouri are adamant that this is a different era of college football. One that has these two programs above the Florida Gators. This train of thought led them to an intriguing question: Why would Lane Kiffin or Eli Drinkwitz leave their respective program for Florida? 

Well, the answer to that is simple. Florida can offer an easier path to consistently construct a national championship-winning roster through high school recruiting rather than relying on the transfer portal. 

Both coaches have routinely operated in the transfer portal since their hirings. Instead of loading up with true freshmen in every class, they have added some fat to their roster with transfers. 

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin is considered by many to be the frontrunner for the Florida job.

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin is considered by many to be the frontrunner for the Florida job. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Since Kiffin’s hiring ahead of the 2020 season, the Rebels averaged a high school class average of 19.9 while simultaneously bringing in 108 total transfers, which is 15.4 per season. Moreover, Kiffin has signed 20 or more transfers over the past four seasons, including signing 30 this past offseason. 

Missouri named Drinkwitz the head coach of the program in 2018. From that season onwards, he has averaged a 29.3 class ranking and signed 77 transfers, 64 of which came over the past four years. 

That does not mean what they are doing is completely wrong, but it is not giving them the best chance to win it all based on how previous national champions have manufactured their roster. 

Over the past five campaigns, each national champion had 10 or fewer transfers signed. Ohio State had eight incoming transfers in the 2024 cycle. Michigan had nine in 2023. Georgia had a combined four during their back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022. Alabama only brought in two in 2020. 

Much of that has to do with the talent already on the roster. Ohio State held a high school recruiting class average of 3.7 for the three years leading up to their championship. Georgia and Alabama averaged 1.3 and 2.3 class rankings, respectively, over the three previous years before their titles. 

Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz is another possible candidate for Florida's head coaching job.

Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz is another possible candidate for Florida’s head coaching job. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

So, clearly, having the core of the team come from the high school level plays a part. 

Florida has tried their hardest to replicate this despite having inconsistent coaching on the field since 2018. Its average high school class ranking during this period is 10.6, including four top-10 finishes. 

One reason Florida has been able to finish above them in high school recruiting is because of different plans of attack. 

While Kiffin and Drinkwitz sign high school recruits, they are not as aggressive as they are in the portal due to having less top-end talent in their state compared to other schools. In turn, they go for higher-floor players in the portal to help bolster their roster. 

Kiffin and Drinkwitz have shown, though, that they can recruit their state and keep the best in-state prospects home, at times. 

In the 2024 cycle, Drinkwitz signed 247Sports’ No. 6 overall prospect, Williams Nwaneri, who is from Lee’s Summit, Mo. Then, in the 2025 class, he signed the only two four-star recruits hailing from Missouri. 

As for Kiffin, he reeled in 247Sports’ No. 1 prospect from Mississippi in the 2025 and 2024 cycles. From last year’s class, wide receiver Caleb Cunningham was the best recruit from Mississippi and was rated as the No. 48 overall prospect. In 2024, four-star defensive lineman Will Echoles finished as the No. 1 from the state and No. 77 overall, according to 247Sports. 

Fortunately for Florida, its home state gives coaches many more darts to throw on the board, especially at the top end. In the 2026 class, there are five five-stars, six top-50 prospects and 12 top-100 prospects in Florida. There were two five-star prospects, six prospects in the top-50 and 13 inside the top-100 prospects in the class before that, as well. 

Only time will tell if either coach is interested in relocating to Gainesville for the 2026 season, but should they do so, they could find it much easier to build their ideal title-winning roster.