Don't Let the Rebs Stay Hot: Ole Miss Looks to Keep Rolling

Success can be measured in a variety of ways. In athletics, a scoreboard is the most visible. When a game is over or a match is complete, the result is there for all to see.

The NCAA Division I LEARFIELD IMG College Directors' Cup, at the end of an academic and athletic school year, is a measuring stick for an athletics department. During the two most recent academic years, Ole Miss Athletics has finished with its highest rankings ever on this prestigious list. In 2020-21, the Rebels were 22nd nationally. In 2021-22, they were 20th.

That ranking of 20th is not only the best ever for Ole Miss, but also the highest ranking ever for any program in the state of Mississippi.

"Our goal now is to beat that and set a new mark," said Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter. "It's been fun. It's been a lot of work. Great student-athletes, great coaches, a great staff. There's a lot of things behind the scenes as well."

Some might call this a golden era for Ole Miss Athletics. Others might say it's the best of times. Across the board there's been a level of success that Ole Miss has attempted to attain, and the goal is to keep things moving forward with more championships.

"If you look back over the last couple of years, statistically those are the best two years we've ever had in Ole Miss Athletics," Carter said. "We've done some really good things. It helps when you win a national championship each of those years. We want all of our sports to be good. We want to have depth and have a very comprehensive athletic department, and I think the past two years we've been able to do that."

The national championship teams Carter refers to are Ole Miss women's golf, which won a national title in Scottsdale, Arizona, in May 2021, and Rebel baseball, which claimed a national championship in Omaha, Nebraska, this past June.

"The record-setting finishes in our Learfield Directors' Cup standing over the last two years are particularly significant because they are reflective of our deep commitment to excellence and success across the entirety of all of our collegiate athletics," said University of Mississippi Chancellor, Dr. Glenn Boyce. "Finishing in the top 20 is especially notable with more than 300 teams included in the Division I Directors' Cup standings, and that the SEC leads the way with nine programs in the top 25. We compete in the fiercest conference in the country, and are proud that we rise to the challenge of being counted among the best in the country."

Chancellor Boyce said the numerous athletic achievements are positive selling points for the University of Mississippi.

"People far and wide are engaged and excited about the stories and successes of our student-athletes," he said. "The praise and support are rewarding for our student-athletes and also draw attention to so many of the extraordinary and special aspects of the University, like our beautiful campus, our welcoming environment or our great location in Oxford, the best college town in America. Everyone in athletics from our student-athletes to our coaches and staff serve as ambassadors for Ole Miss and are on the forefront of representing the excellence of our University."

So how does the NCAA Division I LEARFIELD IMG College Directors' Cup actually work? And how are the rankings figured following a school year?

"The Learfield Cup is based on 19 sports," Carter said. "Every year, we're one sport behind. We only have 18 sports. So for us to be in the top 20 to 22, against schools like Texas or Stanford that have 35 or 36 sports, it's pretty impressive. It shows that not only do we have depth in what we're doing, but that all of our teams are not only getting into the postseason but making deep runs in the postseason. We talk about it all the time to each of our teams, that we want to give them the resources to be successful. We want them to have a great experience. This is kind of the proof in the pudding that they are doing those things."

In 2021-22, Ole Miss baseball received 100 points thanks to its national championship season. The 100-point mark is the highest a team can reach in the Cup race. Women's golf was awarded 100 points the previous year because of its national crown.

In the most recent school year, the Ole Miss rifle program was the second-highest program listed in the Cup standings, receiving 80 points with a national finish of fourth in the NCAA.

Other top finishes for Ole Miss programs in 2021-22 were women's indoor track with 70.5 points, due to its sixth place national finish; women's cross country claiming the 10th spot in the final NCAA standings and garnering 67.5 points; men's indoor track also with a 10th place NCAA season but with slightly less total Cup points at 66.75.

Ole Miss football, with 10 wins and a Sugar Bowl appearance in New Orleans, received 66 points for an 11th place national ranking. The game in the Caesars Superdome on the night of Jan. 1, 2022, was the 10th time an Ole Miss football team has participated in the Sugar Bowl.

Also in 2021-22, the men's golf program garnered 61.5 points for a 14th place national finish. Men's cross country was 15th nationally with 60 points, and women's outdoor track received 54.5 points for its 19th place season. Those mentioned above were the top 20 finishes nationally for Ole Miss sport programs last school year.

A member of the Ole Miss community who has witnessed Ole Miss sports events for years is David Kellum, radio voice for Rebel athletics. He is enjoying the sports success that's now coming Ole Miss' way.

"As a graduate of the school, even putting the play-by-play piece aside, it's exciting," said Kellum, who has been the radio voice for the Rebels in baseball since the late 1970s and in football and men's basketball since the late 1980s. "The women's golf championship kind of broke the ceiling. We've had some individual championships recently, too. That was all super exciting to see. It proved this can happen at Ole Miss."

Kellum has been a part of more baseball games than any other sport. This year's run to the finish line as the last team standing was indeed a special moment.

"It was so unusual this year because we had such a tough middle of the season," he said. "To break through and not only get to Omaha again but to win it all was a dream come true. It's been really exciting to watch the athletic department as a whole make some tremendous strides."

Chancellor Boyce said the University and its students benefit from the standard being set on the fields and courts.

"We have entered a new era of excellence," he said. "Not only have we built a strong record of success in how our programs are competing and winning at every level, we continue to focus on enhancing the student-athlete experience. As one of the premier brands in college athletics, we are elevating our legacy of winning and success.

"One of the ways we will continue to capitalize on our athletics success is through the all-around outstanding team in athletics," Chancellor Boyce continued. "Our success starts at the top with the steady and innovative leadership from Keith Carter. The continuity of leadership within the department and with our coaches will enable us to achieve at even higher levels than our competitors. Another way we can continue to build is by investing in facility improvements and recognizing the challenging landscape of college athletics while responding to the way the competition continually shifts, particularly in recruiting."

Kellum attributes Carter's vision and leadership to much of the success taking place in athletics.

"Keith's desire to win championships, and he says that regularly, is a key," Kellum said. "The goal is not to reach the playoffs, not just to finish high in the SEC. The goal is to win championships. Sure, you're going to fall short sometimes. But when you are striving for that on a regular basis, then you really are on the leading edge of everything you can do to be successful. People may say let's live in the moment, and that's great. But you'd also better live for the future moments, and I think that's exactly what Keith and his staff do."

Carter said winning is contagious, and he sees that throughout the department as teams work to step up and take their games to the highest level possible.

"I think what's happened is that success has bred success," he said. "Our coaches and student-athletes see other teams doing well and getting that recognition and are like, 'Hey, we want that too.' You want competitors in your student-athletes and in your coaches. And we have that."

So can a dollar amount be placed on Learfield Cup finishes and national titles? Carter said Ole Miss has calculated what the time in Omaha and winning it all meant beyond the play on the field and the trophy hoisted after the finale.

"It was $184 million dollars worth of marketing and branding - if we'd had to pay for it," Carter said of the exposure the University and its athletics program received during the six-game, 10-day run in late June. "We had a couple of third parties look at it. They looked at all the exposure, obviously on ESPN. The online exposure. The media exposure. All those things. More than $180 million worth of marketing if we'd had to pay for it.

"Not only does that help athletics, it helps the whole University," Carter continued. "We have the largest freshman enrollment we've ever had. There has to be a link and a tie to athletics and the exposure we've had there. And what's also important to us, in the landscape of college athletics and in conference realignment and what the NCAA is going to do, it's very important for us to be relevant, very important for us to be visible. For us to have the years we've had the past couple of years with all this transition and everything that's going on, it helps us to make sure we keep our seat at the table. And not only that but that we continue to be the best we can be across the board."

2020-21 NCAA Division I Learfield IMG College Directors' Cup • Team Standings

Women's Golf – 100 (NCAA Champions)
Rifle – 85 (NCAA Podium Finish, 3rd Place)
Men's Indoor Track & Field – 67.5 (10th Place)
Baseball – 64 (NCAA Super Regional)
Soccer – 64 (NCAA Sweet 16)
Men's Tennis – 64 (NCAA Sweet 16)
Women's Indoor Track & Field – 55 (19th Place)
Women's Cross Country – 54 (12th Place)
Men's Cross Country – 54 (12th Place)
Softball – 50 (NCAA Regional)
Football – 45 (Outback Bowl Champions)
Men's Outdoor Track & Field – 43 (T-30th Place)
Women's Outdoor Track & Field – 38 (T-33rd Place)
Women's Tennis – 25 (NCAA Regional)
Men's Golf – 16 (NCAA Regional)
Men's Basketball – 0 (NIT First Round)
Women's Basketball – 0 (WNIT Runners-Up)
Volleyball – 0

2021-22 NCAA Division I Learfield IMG College Directors' Cup • Team Standings

Baseball - 100 (NCAA Champions)
Rifle - 80 (4th Place)
Women's Indoor Track - 70.5 (6th Place)
Women's Cross Country - 67.5 (10th Place)
Men's Indoor Track - 66.75 (10th Place)
Football - 66 (11th place - Sugar Bowl)
Men's Golf - 61.5 (14th Place)
Men's Cross Country - 60 (15th Place)
Women's Outdoor Track - 54.5 (19th Place)
Softball - 50 (NCAA Regional)
Women's Golf - 40.5 (NCAA Regional)
Men's Outdoor Track - 32.5 (39th Place)
Men's Tennis - 25 (NCAA Tournament First Round)
Soccer - 25 (NCAA Tournament First Round)
Volleyball - 25 (NCAA Tournament First Round)
Women's Basketball - 25 (NCAA Tournament First Round)
Men's Basketball - 0
Women's Tennis - 0

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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