Ryan Miret was locked in with Lane Kiffin amid November drama

By Hunt Palmer

While tension built in Oxford, Gainesville and Baton Rouge in November, Ryan Miret waited in Miami.

The three-star center prospect had been committed to Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss since June but was considering his options with Kiffin thought to be on the move.

“First it was the top two schools which were either Florida or LSU, and if it really did come down to it, I would have been ok going to Florida if he made that decision,” Miret said. “I was just locked in with him. And it was the entire staff, the entire offensive staff excluding the offensive line coach.”

The defensive staff largely stayed at Ole Miss when defensive coordinator Pete Golding was promoted to head coach as Kiffin was boarding the jet to Baton Rouge.

And so, the recruiting wars were on.

“Golding and Lane were kind of like contacting me back and forth,” Miret said. “It was kind of, I guess I would say, uncomfortable…I just heard out both of their scenarios and their plans for me. At the end of the day, that’s what I asked them. What is your plan for me? LSU was just a better option to go with.”

Miret had never been to Baton Rouge. He didn’t make that trip until after he had signed with LSU. Since the visit came during a dead period, he was only able to walk campus with his family without interacting with coaches. They looked around and visited New Orleans for a day. Cafe Du Monde was on the itinerary for his first time in the state.

Not everything was brand new.

Kiffin brought offensive line assistant James Cregg, as well as running backs coach Kevin Smith, from Ole Miss. Miret was very familiar with both from his recruiting process.

“I actually had a good relationship with (Cregg),” Miret said. “He was explaining to me his career, and I was already aware of what he did at LSU beforehand. So, the fact that he also came along made it more comfortable. And coach Kevin Smith was my area recruiter back when he recruited me to Ole Miss. And he was actually an alumnus from my local high school, Miami Southridge Senior High. He holds the all-time rushing record at my high school.”

With his decision made and relationships forming at his new home, Miret began to envision his route to the field at LSU. On3 and 247sports list him as an interior offensive lineman. He concurs, but his primary position is clear.

“I played center all throughout high school,” Miret said. “That was like my main. I’m obviously an interior o-lineman. I can play all three of those positions on the interior. Playing center is like second nature for me. It’s the first position I started at. I wouldn’t say putting my hand in the dirt feels weird, but having my hand on the ball just feels second nature for me.”

LSU returns Braelin Moore, an accomplished three-year starter between Virginia Tech and LSU. Miret has already struck up a relationship with Moore and feels like a developmental year behind the senior is the likeliest path to the lineup.

Miret is listed at 6-foot-6 and 300 lbs. Often times, taller interior players have to learn leverage. That won’t be the case for Miret who dominated the Florida high school wrestling circuit.

“I was an All-American at the US Open in 2023 in Greco Roman,” Miret said. “My junior year I went 29-0 and won state in the state of Florida.”

While Kiffin, Cregg and the Tiger coaching staff are thrilled to have Miret on campus for the spring semester, they aren’t alone.

“The kid who was ranked No. 2, he a nice kid,” Miret said. “I beat him last year in the state semifinals. He actually messaged me and was like, ‘thank God you’re not wrestling this year.’”

The quotes in this story are from Ryan Miret’s conversation with Matt Moscona on After Further Review. Watch the full interview here.