.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Track and Field
Porter, Brian
Brian Porter
- Title:
- Assistant Coach - Pole Vault, Javelin, Men's Multis
- Year at Ole Miss:
- 11th
- Email:
- bporter@olemiss.edu
- Phone:
- 662-915-7538
- Alma Mater:
- Texas Tech (2010)
Brian Porter is in his 11th season at Ole Miss as an assistant coach under Connie Price-Smith in 2025-26. He serves as the position coach for the pole vault and men's multi events, and in the past also coached the javelin.
Since arriving at Ole Miss, Porter has mentored seven All-Americans, 10 NCAA qualifiers, two SEC runners-up, and his vaulters have completely re-written the school record books. Entering the 2026 season, Porter's athletes own a combined total 76.7 percent of the entire top-15 lists across both the indoor and outdoor seasons -- including 90 percent of the women's top lists and both women's records.
The 2025 season saw a continued improvement on both of those lists both indoors and outdoors, as well as a handful of historic seasons by Porter's Rebel vaulters. John Kendricks, younger brother of Ole Miss three-time Olympian Sam Kendricks, transferred back home to Oxford, where in 2025 he became only the second 18-footer in school history alongside his older brother. Kendricks took the SEC bronze medal and formed the first national qualifying duo in Ole Miss history in the pole vault alongside junior teammate Logan Kelley.
On the women's side, Porter's two freshmen, Lily Beattie and Katie McFarland, had strong success right out of the gates in 2025, but it was Beattie who made history with the best SEC finish in the event in Ole Miss women's history with an outdoor silver medal.
Among some of Porter's most successful pupils at Ole Miss are:
• All-American Lyndsey Reed, who reset both the Ole Miss indoor (4.41m/14-05.50) and outdoor (4.41m/14-05.50) records and scored 9.5 SEC points during her Rebel career -- including a bronze medal outdoors on her home track in 2022.
• Samara McConnell, who ended her Ole Miss career ranked second indoors at 4.34m/14-02.75, as well as fifth outdoors at 4.20m/13-09.25.
• Noah Mumme, who won SEC silver indoors in 2023 and scored 13 SEC points in his lone season as a Rebel. He concluded his Ole Miss career ranked third all-time outdoors (5.35m/17-06.50) and fourth indoors (5.30m/17-04.50).
• Cole Colozzo and Peyton Weissmann, teammate duo who were Porter's first men's vaulters to make a dent on the all-time lists. Weissmann was a four-time SEC scorer who ended ranked second all-time indoors (5.35m/17-06.50) and third outdoors (5.35m/17-06.50), while Colozzo was a 2021 national qualifier who finished ranked third indoors (5.30m/17-04.50) and fourth outdoors (5.31m/17-5).
• All-American Lindsey Murray, who followed Porter to Ole Miss following a superb freshman season at Southern Illinois in 2015. Murray earned five Second-Team All-America honors and scored 15.25 SEC points during her Ole Miss career, during which she set the Rebel women's records indoors (4.30m/14-01.25) and outdoors (4.35m/14-03.25).
• Javelin thrower Alex Enright, who set the Ole Miss record in 2017 at 43.49m/142-08 and again in 2019 at 45.50m/149-3.
Porter came to Oxford after three seasons in the same position under Price-Smith at Southern Illinois University. He led an all-out assault on the SIU record book in the pole vault during his three seasons, turning SIU from an average school in the event into one of the Missouri Valley Conference's premier vaulting institutions.
In his three seasons in Carbondale, Porter guided his athletes to three MVC titles, two SIU records, six All-MVC vaulters, four regional qualifiers and one national qualifier. His female vaulters produced six of the top seven clearances on both the indoor and outdoor lists in 2015 alone, and he coached two men to achieve 17 feet outdoors, as well.
The 2015 season was, without a doubt, the best for the pole vault cumulatively on a conference and national stage in SIU history. Porter's vaulters scored 77 combined points in 2015; 40 at the outdoor meet and 37 at the indoor meet. Much of that had to do with the arrival of Illinois high school all-time record holder Lindsey Murray, who won the indoor MVC title and annihilated both the SIU indoor (4.30m/14-1.25) and outdoor (4.22m/13-10) records along the way. Sophomore walk-on Nathan Schuck also turned some heads after winning the outdoor title in an upset after clearing 5.19m/17-0.25. Jonathan Walsh also earned All-MVC by clearing the same height. Porter's male vaulters went 1-3-4-8 outdoors, helping seal the first Saluki men's outdoor title since 1992 with their performances.
The story of the year, though, was the high-flying antics of the freshman Murray. She earned a trip to the indoor national meet, where she was the top freshman in the competition, finishing ninth for second team All-America distinction. She was runner-up at the MVC outdoor meet with her school-record height of 4.22m/13-10.
In his first two seasons at SIU, Porter set the stage for later success by guiding Ryan Sidwell to an MVC indoor title in 2013 and freshman Katie Trupp to a runner-up outdoor finish in 2014. Several others also posted personal-best clearances under Porter's tutelage.
Porter came to SIU from Texas Tech, where he enjoyed a successful career as both a student-athlete and assistant coach.
A 2010 graduate of Texas Tech in exercise sports science, Porter was a seven-time All-Big 12 honoree and a four-time national qualifier in the pole vault from 2007-10.
As an assistant coach over the next two seasons, Porter assisted in the development of six national qualifiers (including two in the triple and high jumps); a three-time Big 12 runner-up; a school record holder in the women's pole vault, who cleared an Olympic A standard of 4.50m/14-9; the 2011 men's Big 12 champion in the pole vault; and the 2011 Big 12 Outstanding Freshman of the Year, who attained a personal best of 5.41m/17-9.
Porter studied under the legendary Rock Light while at Texas Tech in all aspects of the jumps and combine events.
A graduate of Maypearl High School in Maypearl, Texas, Porter participated in football, basketball and track and field during his prep days. He was a two-time pole vault 2AA state champion and helped Maypearl to district team titles by also running legs of the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays.
Porter was born July 13, 1987, to Joe and Renea Porter in Dallas, Texas. Porter and his wife, Mary Catherine, reside in Oxford with their son, Clayton.
Since arriving at Ole Miss, Porter has mentored seven All-Americans, 10 NCAA qualifiers, two SEC runners-up, and his vaulters have completely re-written the school record books. Entering the 2026 season, Porter's athletes own a combined total 76.7 percent of the entire top-15 lists across both the indoor and outdoor seasons -- including 90 percent of the women's top lists and both women's records.
The 2025 season saw a continued improvement on both of those lists both indoors and outdoors, as well as a handful of historic seasons by Porter's Rebel vaulters. John Kendricks, younger brother of Ole Miss three-time Olympian Sam Kendricks, transferred back home to Oxford, where in 2025 he became only the second 18-footer in school history alongside his older brother. Kendricks took the SEC bronze medal and formed the first national qualifying duo in Ole Miss history in the pole vault alongside junior teammate Logan Kelley.
On the women's side, Porter's two freshmen, Lily Beattie and Katie McFarland, had strong success right out of the gates in 2025, but it was Beattie who made history with the best SEC finish in the event in Ole Miss women's history with an outdoor silver medal.
Among some of Porter's most successful pupils at Ole Miss are:
• All-American Lyndsey Reed, who reset both the Ole Miss indoor (4.41m/14-05.50) and outdoor (4.41m/14-05.50) records and scored 9.5 SEC points during her Rebel career -- including a bronze medal outdoors on her home track in 2022.
• Samara McConnell, who ended her Ole Miss career ranked second indoors at 4.34m/14-02.75, as well as fifth outdoors at 4.20m/13-09.25.
• Noah Mumme, who won SEC silver indoors in 2023 and scored 13 SEC points in his lone season as a Rebel. He concluded his Ole Miss career ranked third all-time outdoors (5.35m/17-06.50) and fourth indoors (5.30m/17-04.50).
• Cole Colozzo and Peyton Weissmann, teammate duo who were Porter's first men's vaulters to make a dent on the all-time lists. Weissmann was a four-time SEC scorer who ended ranked second all-time indoors (5.35m/17-06.50) and third outdoors (5.35m/17-06.50), while Colozzo was a 2021 national qualifier who finished ranked third indoors (5.30m/17-04.50) and fourth outdoors (5.31m/17-5).
• All-American Lindsey Murray, who followed Porter to Ole Miss following a superb freshman season at Southern Illinois in 2015. Murray earned five Second-Team All-America honors and scored 15.25 SEC points during her Ole Miss career, during which she set the Rebel women's records indoors (4.30m/14-01.25) and outdoors (4.35m/14-03.25).
• Javelin thrower Alex Enright, who set the Ole Miss record in 2017 at 43.49m/142-08 and again in 2019 at 45.50m/149-3.
Porter came to Oxford after three seasons in the same position under Price-Smith at Southern Illinois University. He led an all-out assault on the SIU record book in the pole vault during his three seasons, turning SIU from an average school in the event into one of the Missouri Valley Conference's premier vaulting institutions.
In his three seasons in Carbondale, Porter guided his athletes to three MVC titles, two SIU records, six All-MVC vaulters, four regional qualifiers and one national qualifier. His female vaulters produced six of the top seven clearances on both the indoor and outdoor lists in 2015 alone, and he coached two men to achieve 17 feet outdoors, as well.
The 2015 season was, without a doubt, the best for the pole vault cumulatively on a conference and national stage in SIU history. Porter's vaulters scored 77 combined points in 2015; 40 at the outdoor meet and 37 at the indoor meet. Much of that had to do with the arrival of Illinois high school all-time record holder Lindsey Murray, who won the indoor MVC title and annihilated both the SIU indoor (4.30m/14-1.25) and outdoor (4.22m/13-10) records along the way. Sophomore walk-on Nathan Schuck also turned some heads after winning the outdoor title in an upset after clearing 5.19m/17-0.25. Jonathan Walsh also earned All-MVC by clearing the same height. Porter's male vaulters went 1-3-4-8 outdoors, helping seal the first Saluki men's outdoor title since 1992 with their performances.
The story of the year, though, was the high-flying antics of the freshman Murray. She earned a trip to the indoor national meet, where she was the top freshman in the competition, finishing ninth for second team All-America distinction. She was runner-up at the MVC outdoor meet with her school-record height of 4.22m/13-10.
In his first two seasons at SIU, Porter set the stage for later success by guiding Ryan Sidwell to an MVC indoor title in 2013 and freshman Katie Trupp to a runner-up outdoor finish in 2014. Several others also posted personal-best clearances under Porter's tutelage.
Porter came to SIU from Texas Tech, where he enjoyed a successful career as both a student-athlete and assistant coach.
A 2010 graduate of Texas Tech in exercise sports science, Porter was a seven-time All-Big 12 honoree and a four-time national qualifier in the pole vault from 2007-10.
As an assistant coach over the next two seasons, Porter assisted in the development of six national qualifiers (including two in the triple and high jumps); a three-time Big 12 runner-up; a school record holder in the women's pole vault, who cleared an Olympic A standard of 4.50m/14-9; the 2011 men's Big 12 champion in the pole vault; and the 2011 Big 12 Outstanding Freshman of the Year, who attained a personal best of 5.41m/17-9.
Porter studied under the legendary Rock Light while at Texas Tech in all aspects of the jumps and combine events.
A graduate of Maypearl High School in Maypearl, Texas, Porter participated in football, basketball and track and field during his prep days. He was a two-time pole vault 2AA state champion and helped Maypearl to district team titles by also running legs of the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays.
Porter was born July 13, 1987, to Joe and Renea Porter in Dallas, Texas. Porter and his wife, Mary Catherine, reside in Oxford with their son, Clayton.
| COACHING CAREER | ||
| Year(s) | School | Position |
| 2015-Pres. | Ole Miss | Assistant Coach / Pole Vault / Javelin / Men's Multi |
| 2012-15 | Southern Illinois | Assistant Coach / Pole Vault / Javelin / Men's Multi |
| 2010-12 | Texas Tech | Assistant Coach |
The Season: New Heights (2025)
Friday, August 01
From Walk-On to National Champ: Arvesta Troupe (T&F)
Monday, June 23
HIGHLIGHTS: Arvesta Troupe Makes History as NCAA High Jump Champ
Friday, June 13
PRESSER: Arvesta Troupe Talks Historic NCAA High Jump Win
Friday, June 13
