ATLANTA — As he accepted the Peach Bowl trophy Saturday, Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin declared that the Rebels are just getting started.

Perhaps that applies to Ole Miss' transfer portal activity as well.

"Today's another message for a couple more pieces that may be out there," Kiffin said. "Come on, join up."

The 38-25 win for the Rebels (11-2) over Penn State (10-3) only added to a sense of momentum around the Ole Miss program that has been festering for months.

To this point, it has translated into the top-ranked transfer portal class in the country, headlined by defensive lineman Walter Nolen, the top overall transfer according to 247Sports rankings.

At the postgame podium, Kiffin was flanked by a pair of transfers, named the game's most valuable players. Defensive lineman Jared Ivey moved to Oxford from Georgia Tech before the 2022 season, and tight end Caden Prieskorn joined up last offseason from Memphis.

Ivey finished the game with a pair of tackles for loss and recovered a fumble. Prieskorn caught 10 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns.

"We're in a really good place," Kiffin said. "We're starting something really special. I think today's another message, which obviously you saw all these great players around the country the last month sign up to come join these guys. Today is another message as you look at the MVPs up here and the guys that came in here to do something special."

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Penn State coach James Franklin critical of officiating

In his postgame press conference, Penn State coach James Franklin called the officiating in the game "less than desirable."

His primary complaint came on a play in the red zone on Penn State's first drive of the game that he felt warranted an Ole Miss penalty.

"That first drive, we have the field goal, we run a slant, we get turned around, but I'll move on," Franklin said. "I could list out a number of examples. That's a big play in that game at a critical moment, starting out with a touchdown rather than a field goal is significant. But I'll move on."

Kiffin also seemed visibly unhappy with the officials early in the game. When Penn State jumped offside on a first-quarter third down, the Rebels thought they had a free play, with Jaxson Dart hitting Prieskorn for what looked like a touchdown. But the officials blew the play dead. On the very next play, Penn State seemed to jump again, but no foul was called and Ole Miss settled for a field goal.

John David Baker's final contribution

Tight ends coach John David Baker, who had accepted a job at East Carolina as the Pirates' new offensive coordinator, returned for the Peach Bowl.

Baker got to witness Prieskorn's breakout performance. The 136 yards Prieskorn compiled marked a career-high for the tight end, who had only one 100-yard game during his time at Memphis.

Baker signed off on his Ole Miss tenure with a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"Thank you Ole Miss," he wrote.

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Lane Kiffin teases more Ole Miss football portal moves after Peach Bowl