Kiffin focused on culture as Rebels enter spring
OXFORD — Ole Miss opened spring drills Wednesday with Lane Kiffin openly admitting this is the most talented roster he’s fielded since taking over in Oxford in December 2019.
That does not always equate, Kiffin said, to winning, so as expectations soar in and around the program, Kiffin is hoping to build culture between now and the start of the 2024 season.
“That doesn’t mean we’ll have a good team, just because we have a good roster,” Kiffin said. “There’s a lot of work, a lot of culture-building, for that to happen, because you guys have all seen in this sport and different sports really good rosters put together in the offseason and it doesn’t always translate to wins.”
Kiffin said he felt he and his staff had figured out how to build chemistry within the team in the transfer portal era last season, when the Rebels went 11-2 and won the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl over Penn State.
“Then they added unlimited transfers,” Kiffin said. “There was a system that they’d put in place. I said in the SEC meetings that college football, in regards to the portal, is a disaster. I said that last year and then they really changed a major thing in the system and now everyone can transfer multiple times. That creates really different ways of going about this. Now you have to worry about losing all your guys multiple times twice a year. …I think you could have a plan and say our last year plan worked well because we won 11 games being very portal-heavy, but now you have to adjust again.”
Kiffin said Ole Miss has benefited from the portal and admitted it “sounds strange” criticizing a system that has helped his program, but he reiterated his overriding thought.
“It is a disaster,” Kiffin said. “And it got worse.”
Kiffin said there’s a different buzz around the program with virtually everyone predicting the Rebels to make the 12-team College Football Playoff that goes into effect this season.
“There’s not a lot of holes to replace,” Kiffin said, saying the Rebels lost three players to the NFL Scouting Combine and another, running back Quinshon Judkins, to the transfer portal.
“There’s excitement out there. It looks really good as a roster but we have a lot of work to do.”
Kiffin said the program spends a lot of time discussing culture.
“It’s always been important,” Kiffin said. “Talent can override culture. I don’t care what people say. If you have a super-talented, great, elite, talented team, they can beat a bunch of players who have culture. But culture is very important. Now it’s important to re-do your culture every year because half your roster is turning over. …This team is 0-0. Everybody in this program, from myself to the quarterback, is 0-0, and that’s how we’re starting this thing.”
Dart limited: Speaking of the quarterback, Kiffin said Wednesday Jaxson Dart is limited this spring due to surgery on his lower body. Kiffin said Dart threw in seven-on-seven Wednesday but is “very limited movement-wise.”
Kiffin said he didn’t know Dart’s timetable, but he said Dart’s absence is going to lead for more reps for Walker Howard and Austin Simmons in team drills. Kiffin said both young quarterbacks have done “a great job.”
Ole Miss adds Arnett: Kiffin confirmed Wednesday that Ole Miss has added former Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett as a defensive analyst. Arnett, Kiffin said, started his duties Wednesday. Arnett replaced Mike Leach in December 2022 and directed the Bulldogs last season before being relieved of his duties 10 days prior to Ole Miss’ Egg Bowl win in Starkville.
Arnett was Leach’s defensive coordinator at Mississippi State prior to accepting head coaching duties. Arnett spent the first nine years of his career at San Diego State, rising to defensive coordinator in 2018.
“I’ve had a lot of respect for Zach and thought they did a really good job over there in Starkville during his time on defense to cause people problems,” Kiffin said.
Kiffin said Arnett met with him and defensive coordinator Pete Golding and felt Arnett was a “really good fit.”