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1. I always find the beginning of a coaching search to be a fascinating time.
Auburn fired Bryan Harsin on Monday, and by Friday, many of the eyes on the Plains were on Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin.
That has created a bit of histrionics from some on or on the periphery of the Ole Miss beat, who are almost rebellious in their attempts to rebuff the rumor mill.
As you might expect, I have a few thoughts.
One, the threat posed by Auburn is real. It just is. It’s real. Auburn has fallen to a state of irrelevancy nationally, and that’s unacceptable there. There was fatigue at the end of Gus Malzahn’s tenure and Harsin was never accepted during his almost two years at the helm, a period where he went 9-12 before being replaced by Carnell “Cadillac” Williams on an interim basis for the remainder of this season.
Auburn’s rivals, Alabama and Georgia, are indisputably at the top of the sport right now, both on the field and on the recruiting trail. Alabama, of course, has now dominated college football for the past decade and a half. If you’re an Auburn fan, that’s a lot to endure.
So Auburn paid Harsin some $15 million to go away and is now at a crossroads. Auburn has watched Nick Saban change Alabama. It has watched his former protege in Tuscaloosa, Kirby Smart, turn Georgia into Alabama East. Boosters are minimized. They essentially have no input, no access. There’s a singular voice for the program. Auburn has always eschewed that approach. Heck, it passed on Smart years ago. So now it looks at Kiffin, who remodeled his approach to coaching after three seasons as Saban’s offensive coordinator, and contemplates if now is the time for profound, systemic, overriding change.
That’s the thing about Kiffin and Auburn. As it stands today, it’s just an awful, terrible fit. Don’t take my word for it. My longtime friend, Jay G. Tate, who broke onto the Auburn beat with the Montgomery Advertiser in the fall of 1998, the same season I did for the now-defunct Birmingham Post-Herald, has said the same thing. It’s just an awful fit. Kiffin isn’t going to hobnob with the boosters, he’s not going to begin and end every interaction with “War Eagle.” Hell, there won’t be many interactions. People see the social media marketing genius and think that’s him in real life. It isn’t. Kiffin is aloof. He’s introspective. He’s private.
There’s nothing wrong with that, by the way. Nothing at all. He seems comfortable in his own skin and happy. Good for him. But at Auburn, they’ve always wanted a politician, a coach who will shake hands, work a room, kiss a few babies, play some golf with the boosters, talk a little ball and the like. One of the most successful coaches there in recent history is now a United States senator. That’s not Kiffin’s style, and as he approaches 50 — Kiffin is 47 — he’s not likely to be changing all that much moving forward.
That said, money can fix a lot of things, including bad fits. And Auburn has loads of resources. And there are rumors that Auburn is more than a little prepared to use those resources.
Look, on one hand, it’s really early in the game to be hearing about numbers. The season doesn’t end for another three weeks, at a minimum. The new athletics director, John Cohen, is barely on the job. On the other hand, I’ve been doing this long enough to know when trusted media and the coaching fraternity are all basically saying the same thing, one should likely pay attention.
One source close to the Auburn program told me Thursday night that Auburn was preparing a “record-setting” offer. He went on to say that Auburn has the money and is “tired of settling.”
I pressed him, pointing out that record-setting would be $100 million or so, basically all guaranteed. That figure, he said, “will be $115 million in five years. Ten for $100 million will be a steal in 5-10 years in the market.
“There’s just a huge drop-off from Lane to what is behind him right now.”
Another source with close Auburn ties said former players are pretty unanimous and vocal behind the scenes, pushing for AU to pursue Kiffin.
So, yeah, if Auburn is willing to cede autonomy to Kiffin and put an upper eight- or nine-figure deal on the table, the Tigers are very much a threat to steal Kiffin away from Ole Miss.
Also, there’s the unknown here. Kiffin has talked about enjoying Oxford and getting comfortable here. His daughter, Landry, moved here and is a senior at Oxford High School. She’s planning to enroll at Ole Miss in the fall.
What is all of that worth? I don’t know. Maybe he could get comfortable elsewhere. People move all the time. She could transfer schools or live with a neighbor next semester. She could easily get accepted at another university and start her freshman year there.
Who knows? Maybe Kiffin thinks he can win big at Ole Miss and build a legacy there. Maybe he thinks he’s hit the ceiling. Maybe he thinks he could stay at Ole Miss another year or two and land a better job than Auburn. Maybe he thinks he would be in play at Alabama, Texas or Texas A&M if and when one of those jobs open down the road. Maybe he wants another shot at the NFL.
Maybe he looks at the Auburn roster and shudders at the idea of trying to make that trash heap competitive. Maybe he sees the $12-15 million in NIL that’s supposedly sitting in Auburn’s NIL coffers and salivates at what those resources could turn into quickly.
Maybe it’s not all about money. Or maybe it is. Like I said, there are a lot of unknowns, and Kiffin isn’t exactly sitting down with Oprah Winfrey and doing a tell-all.
It’s why I’m skeptical when people speak in absolutes here in early November. That applies to both sides of the discussion.
2. That said, it’s one thing to talk about that kind of money. It’s another thing to take that risk.
Look at Texas A&M. The Aggies are on the hook for about $85 million if they want to move on from Jimbo Fisher (and they do). Even in Texas, where the pockets are deepest, that’s a price tag that is too formidable to overcome. Fisher owns every bit of the leverage. Sure, he needs to overhaul his offense, but there’s no way to force him to do it. Sure, he’s underachieving, given all of the talent on that roster, but there’s no way to really hold him accountable. The contract is guaranteed.
Does Auburn really want to take that risk? What if the lack of fit is insurmountable? What if, for whatever reason, Kiffin can’t get over the hump and overtake Alabama and Georgia?
Kiffin is a master with the transfer portal. He understands recruiting, but I don’t think it’s his favorite thing. At Auburn, and going against Saban and Smart, Tigers fans would want to see Kiffin very much on the recruiting trail. Recruiting wins would be big, but so would losses. Public opinion changes rapidly in today’s news cycle. A 10-year contract can become an albatross quickly.
It’s why I won’t be remotely surprised if, over the next three weeks, we hear some rumblings that Auburn is turning its focus, at least in part, to other candidates. The Tigers could hire Liberty coach Hugh Freeze for half (or less) of what it would take to steal Kiffin from Ole Miss. Baylor offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes would be even cheaper.
Maybe the Tigers turn to Jackson State coach Deion Sanders. Maybe they turn to former Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule, who had big success taking over toxic programs at Temple and Baylor and turning them into winners.
We’ll see. All I’m saying is the concept of going all-in on a massive contract is one thing. The reality of actually doing it is another.
3. So what should Ole Miss do?
Well, if I were Keith Carter — and God knows, I’m not — I’d be implementing a two-pronged approach. On one hand, I’d be doing everything in my power to counter Auburn — or any other potential suitor — with as creative a package as possible. Kiffin has proven to be a perfect fit for Ole Miss. He’s been great for the university. Young people love him. He’s won big and done wonders for the satisfaction of Rebels fans.
Ole Miss, however, is a bit hamstrung by the four-year limit on state contracts. There is flexibility through the Foundation, but I suspect, if past is prologue, there’s only so far Carter and the administration is willing to go via that route.
However, if Kiffin wants to stay — and he’s publicly discussed his level of satisfaction in recent months and days — Carter can put a package on the table that would provide generational wealth for Kiffin.
But he likely can’t go to $100 million. So if it’s ultimately about nothing but money, well, as Kiffin likes to say in Sabanesque style, “It is what it is.”
So, if I were Carter, I’d spend some time these next few weeks getting organized. I’d have a list ready. I’d be poised to move quickly, for in this era of transfer portal and NIL, every day after Dec. 5 without a coach in place is nothing short of disastrous. I’d be doing my research and I’d be thinking big.
If that work ended up being wasted effort, awesome. That means I kept my coach, all is well and I have an even firmer grasp of the college football coaching landscape for future reference. I just wouldn’t be naive, and for the record, I don’t think Carter is.
For here’s the cold, hard truth: If Kiffin leaves, Carter is on the clock. His legacy at Ole Miss, along with the legacy of chancellor Glenn Boyce, something I have to think is important to both of them, would be defined by how they handled Kiffin’s exit and who they brought in to succeed him.
4. Here’s my last thought on this for now. Freeze won at Ole Miss before personal foibles and an NCAA witch hunt combined to take him down. Kiffin has won at Ole Miss. It can be done. That’s been proven. Kiffin has galvanized Ole Miss’ NIL efforts. Just the threat of his leaving has apparently been a game-changer for the Grove Collective.
At some point, presumably, Kiffin is going to leave. Maybe it’s in a few weeks. Maybe it’s in a decade. Whatever. That day will come.
The program won’t shutter its doors that day. If Ole Miss is smart, it will learn from Kiffin and do everything in its power to move forward. What Kiffin has proven is Ole Miss should think big, act big and try to compete at the very highest levels. No, the Rebels don’t have the resources enjoyed by the upper crust of the Southeastern Conference, but Ole Miss is a top-20 job. When it acts like it, Ole Miss can compete at a high level. That should absolutely be its mindset moving forward.
Fight like hell to keep Kiffin for as long as it can and then when the day comes that it must replace him, do so with high standards and lofty expectations.
5. For now, there’s a football season to finish.
Ole Miss, now ranked No. 11 in the Associated Press Top 25, plays three games in 12 days starting with Saturday afternoon’s showdown in Oxford against No. 10 Alabama.
The Crimson Tide was eliminated from the national title picture on Saturday in Baton Rouge, losing to LSU, 32-31.
“I just want to say,” Alabama linebacker Will Anderson said, “no matter the outcome of the game, I’m super proud of all those guys because Monday through Friday, we work our ass off. There’s no bullshit and all those guys are locked in. Effort is not the issue. We just have to lock in. It’s all mental. But I am super proud of those guys and I wouldn’t have rather gone to war but with any other of those guys.”
Alabama allowed 232 yards and 25 points after halftime after surrendering just 135 and seven points before the break. LSU won it with a 25-yard Jayden Daniels overtime run followed by his two-point conversion throw to Mason Taylor.
Alabama must not recalibrate its expectations, starting with the Ole Miss game. It'll be a tall task.
“I told them that we all have a chance, we all have a legacy that we wanna uphold in terms of the pride that we have in our performance, as well as what our expectations are," Saban said. "And I told each player that they can develop in their stock by continuing to try to play well and improve and we can create value as a team if we continue to do the things that we need to do to get better as a team.
“There’s nobody that benefits from not getting better, there’s nobody that benefits from not playing well, whether it’s their future that they’re concerned about or this team. And these guys care about this team. When you play in a game like this, all you’ve got is the guys you’ve got, but that’s really you need if you do things together and you do it the right way. And I was proud of the way our guys competed in the game. We just didn’t make quite enough plays when we needed to and didn’t make the play at the end of the game.”
"We have to get rid of all of the individual stuff, make sure everybody is locked in and everybody has two feet in," Anderson said. "We need to make sure we keep Alabama football the main thing while we're still here, and not think about the future. That's the message I'm going to give the team this week."
For Ole Miss, it means an 11-1 season could still leave them without a trip to Atlanta. The Rebels would need either Arkansas or Texas A&M to defeat LSU while Ole Miss wins out versus Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi State. At 11-1, Ole Miss could conceivably be in the College Football Playoff picture, but realistically, the Rebels would need a lot of help to get there.
6. It’s time for my weekly ranking of the SEC.
1. Georgia -- The Bulldogs look poised to repeat as national champions.
2. Tennessee -- It's still Tennessee, even after being dominated in Athens. After all, the Vols beat...
3. LSU -- Fans love to give sports writers crap when we get stuff wrong. Well, how the turn tables. Remember all those hot takes when LSU lost to Florida State? Brian Kelly is out of his element, etc.? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
4. Alabama -- The Tide is a two-loss team that could easily have three, four or even five losses this season. Their receiver play -- or lack thereof -- makes them more pedestrian than usual.
5. Ole Miss -- The Rebels' path to Atlanta and a playoff bid got complicated Saturday night, but the consolation prize is if they can run the table, there's still hope Arkansas or Texas A&M pulls off an upset of LSU.
6. Kentucky -- The Wildcats were on the ropes at Missouri, but Will Levis and the UK defense saved the day.
7. Mississippi State -- I mean, I guess. The league isn't that good. It just isn't. I hereby pledge to approach the preseason next year saying as much. In a sport where most teams are really flawed and very average, the SEC is flawed and average.
8. South Carolina -- The Gamecocks never let Vanderbilt threaten them on Saturday in Nashville.
9. Florida -- Give Billy Napier credit. His team showed up and played in College Station. Florida has a long, long way to go if the goal is contention.
10. Missouri -- The Tigers are the opposite of Alabama. They've found ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory about three times this season.
11. Texas A&M -- Besieged by the flu, the Aggies just didn't have enough bodies to keep up with Florida. A 4-8 season looks likely at this point.
12. Arkansas -- Liberty didn't score in the second half and Arkansas lost anyway. Kendall Briles' play-calling, which often borders on cute, heard the boos.
13. Auburn -- Carnell Williams promised his team would play hard in Starkville. That promise was fulfilled.
14. Vanderbilt -- Another 0-8 SEC season for the Commodores. It's a nice check.
7. I don’t have a vote on the Associated Press Top 25, as it’s just not possible someone who questioned mask mandates and school closures could have the mental fortitude to rank college football teams. However, if I had a ballot, mine would look like this today:
1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Ohio State
4. TCU
5. Tennessee
6. Oregon
7. LSU
8. Ole Miss
9. UCLA
10. USC
11. Alabama
12. Clemson
13. North Carolina
14. Utah
15. Tulane
16. Liberty
17. North Carolina State
18. Penn State
19. UCF
20. Texas
21. Notre Dame
22. Illinois
23. Washington
24. Florida State
25. Coastal Carolina
8. Ole Miss opens the college basketball season Monday night against Alcorn State. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.
The Rebels will start the season without point guard Daeshun Ruffin, who suffered a setback on Tuesday when he got a bone bruise on his injured knee during the Rebels’ exhibition win over West Georgia. Ruffin is week-to-week, per Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis.
Davis and newcomers Theo Akwuba and Myles Burns discussed the opener and more during a media availability Friday afternoon.
9. It’s time to eat. Here’s our resident Parisian chef, Burton Webb, with Taste of the Place, Lesson 160 — Pork Orloff.
This dish is traditionally served around the holiday season here in France maybe because of its decadence. Serve this with some mashed potatoes and everything will be great!
Tidbit #1: When choosing your pork roast, go for a wider/thicker piece. The reason is that we will be cutting into it to stuff it later on in the cooking process.
Tidbit #2: For your spices, salt, pepper, and nutmeg will win the day here. You don’t need to spice it like bbq because we will be adding bacon, cream, and cheese to it later to accentuate the flavor, not mask it.
Tidbit #3: For the butcher’s twine, I would advise getting a slim pyrex dish where the roast just fits in it. This will eliminate the need for twine. If you are using twine, then you will need to do a traditional butcher’s roast knot before the 1st cooking.
Things you will need:
6 people
Preparation time - 10 minutes
Cooking time - 1 hour
Rest time - 10 minutes x2
A glass of pinot noir
Utensils needed:
Chef’s knife and Worksurface
Oven
Baking dish
Butcher’s twine
Baking sheet
Ingredients needed:
1 Pork roast (about 3 lbs)
1 Yellow onion
3 Cloves of garlic
6 Pieces bacon
6 Pieces Comte cheese
1/2 Cup heavy cream
Olive oil
1 Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper
Mise en Plac
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Next, rub the pork with olive oil and then season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Place in your casserole dish along with the sliced onion and smashed garlic cloves. Cook for 40 minutes.
Step 1.2: While the roast is cooking, place your bacon on the baking sheet. Par-cook and place to the side.
Step 2: Take the pork from the oven after 40 minutes and let cook for 10 minutes.
Step 2.1: Using your knife, slice 6 slits into the top of the pork. Place in each slit 1 piece of bacon and cheese. Pour the heavy cream into the bottom of the casserole dish. Mix using a spoon. Place back in the oven to continue cooking for 15 minutes.
Final
Step 3: Take the pork from the oven and let rest for the last 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with a few spoons full of the cream sauce and hopefully some mashed potatoes.
From the Mississippian in Paris, Bon Appétit!
10. We’ll have coverage this week of Ole Miss football, football recruiting, basketball and more at RebelGrove.com. Until then, here are some links of interest to me — and hopefully, to you — for your reading pleasure:
Now that the Astros have won the World Series again, what's their place in history?
Rosenthal: Even in his moment of World Series triumph, Dusty Baker didn't forget
Phillies' postseason magic runs out, a bitter end to the best 30 days of their baseball lives
Top 10 free-agent shortstops in a star-studded offseason class
Why Kyle Hendricks biggest name for Cubs in free agency
SEC spotlight teams that won on the recruiting trail in October
Rivals.com - Ranking the vacant Power Five head coaching jobs
Pair of Arkansas defensive backs arrested Sunday morning
Eagles reach 8-0 for 1st time in franchise history: 'We haven't accomplished anything yet'
Brandon Ingram returns and brings the poise and versatility the Pelicans need to contend
Suns again look like a title contender, but Cam Johnson's injury could test them
The complicated reality of Bronny James, where recruiting meets great expectations
Gentille: Bruins' decision to sign Mitchell Miller is another ugly moment for hockey
Would GOP Congress Impeach Biden? - Rasmussen Reports®
Shots fired at GOP candidate Pat Harrigan's North Carolina home
How the government hid the truth behind Hunter Biden's laptop
Leaked Documents Outline DHS’s Plans to Police Disinformation
Signs of Antisocial Personality Disorder, Therapists Say
Last week, the SEC announced it was going to work diligently to find a way to keep fans off the fields and courts of the league. Here's why:
