The momentum and direction of programs can only be told in snapshots.

Claire Lewicki, Nicole Kidman’s character in the cinematic masterpiece Days of Thunder said, “Control is an illusion,” and that’s never been more accurate than in 2023 college athletics. Head coaches and collectives point programs in directions — upward or downward — and both can change without notice.

A few big donors decide NIL is absolutely worth it or not worth it at all, and a program rises or falls along the pecking order accordingly. Head coaches are the brands and the front doors for excitement and results. History is irrelevant for the most part. Either the people involved are doing everything they can to succeed or they aren’t. There’s no halfway. It’s efficient or inefficient.

Ole Miss football is currently the top portal transfer destination nationally, so far snagging 11 prospects from other FBS schools, including six SEC defensive starters. none are bigger than Friday’s crescendo when Walter Nolen, the Texas A&M defensive tackle and arguably the most talented player in the portal, chose the Rebels.

[Related: How the Grove Collective is thriving in this era]

The extended weekend flurry of additions should retool Ole Miss on the defensive side, and the Rebels — maybe just as importantly but not as headline-grabbing — have hit on key retention targets on offense.

Ole Miss can go into the rest of the portal periods before the season worried about the best available prospects and offensive linemen.

That’s what’s so notable about the current snapshot of Ole Miss athletics. It’s impossible to predict next year or five years from now, especially with the current lawless nature of transfer legislation, but the Rebels are earning these on-fire days of fortune thanks to the complete organizational effort to all move in the same direction and go all-in.

Those not the case across the country, were a lot of capable programs are hampered by in-fighting and egos.

Ole Miss donors are fully engaged, led by a few individuals and notable companies pushing to reach and sustain a level of excellence not seen at Ole Miss in the modern era. The 2024 football season will be the scoreboard, but the Rebels have organized their way to a place at the table. The top 12, and the playoff, is expected, not just a hope.

Down from the high-level donors, the Grove Collective infantry is giving at an increased rate, and the social media efforts have also elevated brand awareness — from fans and supporters to official Ole Miss channels noting each addition with a Pete Golding mugshot or shark reference.

It’s cool to consider Ole Miss.

It’s also an above-the-fold point that Lane Kiffin seems the most engaged in recruiting he’s been since arriving in Oxford, and the staff as a whole has been consistent with a clear message. Golding’s hiring was major flint that fired things to this level.

[Related: Top portal prospect picks Rebels]

In the midst of the couple weeks of football reinforcements, Chris Beard’s basketball team moved to 12-0 and is one of only three unbeatens remaining after the dismantling of USM in Biloxi.

Sure, there are losses to come, but the Rebels have legitimate NCAA Tournament aspirations and one of the sport’s best coaches. Nine months ago, Ole Miss was 12-21 and 3-15 in the SEC.

The rise in the two revenue-producing sports on campus isn’t an accident. You can’t luck into that in this league. Athletics director Keith Carter and the administration took risks in different ways with bringing in Kiffin and Beard, and both relative gambles have paid off.

Ole Miss baseball was in the College World Series in 2014, and the basketball program was a year removed from the SEC Tournament title and the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. The Rebels would again make March Madness the next season.

Ole Miss football was months from its first of two straight access bowls and still basking in the 2013 recruiting class that played well as freshmen.

The confetti fell on the Superdome turf to conclude the 2015 football season, as Ole Miss hammered Oklahoma State and had plenty of offseason buzz prior to the cacophony of follies and regression.

Those are the two snapshots that come to mind, when multiple sports were seemingly running strong, and Ole Miss was a national brand. But the moments were frayed at the edges, and that was noticeable by clear eyes at the time.

The NCAA investigation sat in the back row at best and muted the excitement because of impending misfortune at worst. It served as a structurally sound ceiling that never allowed the euphoria of a moment to reach its potential fever pitch.

Ole Miss has had success, but inefficiencies were obvious, and those shortened the lifespans of those times.

The current landscape nationally is volatile and unpredictable, but Ole Miss’ standing is unprecedented relative to itself. With sound leadership on both the executive and coaching levels and one of the best total school-to-fans buy-ins nationally, the results are representative of the work.

Ole Miss has earned these successful days and these opportunities. The Rebels have an upper-tier seat at the SEC’s expanded table after winning the third-most games in the conference the last three seasons. There’s no need for Ole Miss to blush or seem unsure when it speaks of national-level goals in 2024.

The basketball program is in the fun part — the build that’s quicker than expected and led by a coach who has a history of doing it before.

There’s no guarantee Ole Miss hits all of its goals. Some of the things may not work, but it’s the only way things might work. The Rebels are in maximization mode, and that’s all a program can do. After that, you just play the hands.

Tomorrow will bring new challenges and challengers. A still-pivotal offseason and 12 games stand between now and whether it all pays off. That’s for another day.

Today, Ole Miss is prospering and competent. No curve. No footnote. The Rebels are unified and seeing the results of that focus. The snapshot of what is required. The snapshot of success and the potential for sustainability.