Head coach Lane Kiffin has had plenty of success during his tenure at Ole Miss, and most of it has been predicated on his ability to recruit players through the transfer portal. This year, the Rebels had 11 players invited to the NFL combine, and not a single one of them started their college careers at Ole Miss.
All told, the Rebels had eight players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, and all of them came to Oxford through the transfer portal. Ole Miss also had a handful of players who signed contracts with NFL teams after they went undrafted as well, and for most of them, it was the same story.
Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Brandon Tarnage, who spent his final college season with the Rebels, signed a contract with the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, according to the Ole Miss football account. Tarnage came to Ole Miss after spending two seasons at Alabama and three years at Tennessee.
In his lone Rebels campaign, he had solid production playing in 12 of the team’s 13 games. He recorded 24 tackles, including one for a loss, as well as an interception and a pass defended. Tarnage is the prototypical size for an NFL cornerback, but he’ll need to work on his technique if he wants to make the roster.
The Chiefs have been a perennial Super Bowl contender, and a lot of that has to do with their strong defense. Tarnage will have his work cut out for him in training camp and throughout the preseason, but all the former Rebel needed was a chance, and he got one with one of the NFL’s best franchises.
