OXFORD -- Lane Kiffin begins each day reading Ole Miss' medical report.

Here lately, it's not a quick process.

"I can't keep it straight," Kiffin said. "Our medical report is like a dictionary."

Not only does Kiffin have to keep up with the injuries that are typical of a preseason, but he has to look for who won't be available for practice that day due to COVID-19 issues.

"It's like picking out of a hat every day," Kiffin said. "You don't know who's going to be there. I get texts in the morning saying these three people failed COVID tests and there are some more in close contact, so I don't know, it's hard to even figure out who are first and second units are because it's changing so much."

Kiffin didn't go into detail Tuesday in a Zoom call with reporters, but he said the Rebels' defensive back unit and offensive line have been hit hard by the virus.

"We've got people rotating all over the place," Kiffin said. "There are a couple of guys back, but when they first come back, they're not back. At first you're told 14 days, but then they're not back after 14 days because they have to go get more tests to make sure they're OK and then they have to be worked back in slowly. I mean it's almost like if you get it, you're out for three weeks, so that's a long time."

Creating continuity, therefore, has been a difficult thing for a first-year staff that didn't have the luxury of spring football.

"We're not the deepest program in the conference," Kiffin said. "I don't think that would shock anyone. Two, we have so little background with our guys so if a guy misses two or three weeks, we barely know them from a person-to-person standpoint and they don't know our plays. If you're one of these other programs, for your seniors, this is their fourth year. You've had everybody for at least a year, except for your incoming guys, so they already know your stuff. Actually for some programs where their rosters are really built up, they probably wouldn't admit it, but this is probably a good thing because they're going to have less injuries because they have less guys practicing. Their older guys, their stars who already know everything, they're actually going to be more rested up throughout the year."

On the offensive line, where the Rebels have experience, it's not a major issue. The biggest issue there is Caleb Warren, who recently broke his hand.

"If everybody were healthy, I feel really good about where that group is going with the top guys," Kiffin said.

On defense, however, there is concern. Things got so thin in the secondary that freshman wide receiver Marc Britt moved to safety.

"We got hit so bad in a 48-hour period that we brought him in, talked to him, and the next day he started at safety," Kiffin said. "That's where we're at. It's pretty crazy."

Ole Miss opens its season on Sept. 26 against Florida. Kiffin said he isn't concerned that the guys currently out will miss the Florida game but he admitted he's not sure how all of the COVID protocols will shake out over the course of the season.

"The people that will miss that are the people that will fail next week or the week after that or the week right before the game," Kiffin said, adding he will be on a coaches' call Wednesday regarding the rapid tests players are expected to take the day before contests. "IIf a kid tests positive on Sunday and had symptoms on Friday, you're looking at 14 days from that Friday. So you're looking at two games and then he has to come back and make tests and work back in, so it's a potential of three games."

The Rebels scrimmaged on Sunday, and while Kiffin was sparse with details, he had praise for his offense and quarterbacks Matt Corral and John Rhys Plumlee.

"We made a lot of explosive plays on offense, which again, is good and bad when one side's doing well," Kiffin said. "We are down a lot of players on defense, especially in the secondary, so we have a lot of work to do but a lot of opportunities for a lot of down-the-line kids to play.

"The quarterbacks both made some big plays and did some really big things. I'm very pleased with their production. They need to take care of the ball a little bit better but I like where they're going with that."

Kiffin was asked Tuesday if he thought there would be more social justice protests from his team.

"I think that will be predicated more by what happens around the country," Kiffin said. "When something happens, that draws attention to social injustice issues. I would think then you'll see reactions. I would think definitely it could be ongoing."

He was quick to point out Friday's march to The Square, one that drew national headlines, wasn't in reaction to a local problem.

"This is an issue going on around the country that we're seeing and it's bringing attention to it," Kiffin said. "But this is not a local issue. This is not an issue with the police around here. I've been here a short time, but they've been phenomenal around here. Our players marching or protest or whatever you refer to it as, so that we're on the same page, that was not at all directed at anyone local or in this community or anyone near here."

Kiffin said he expected his players to meet with local law enforcement this week.

"That should be really good."

Ole Miss linebacker MoMo Sanogo detailed Tuesday what happened to lead to Friday's march to the Oxford Square.

"Coach could feel like the guys had a lot on their minds and were feeling some type of way," Sanogo said. "He asked us (the leadership council) the night before, 'What do you guys want to do? Do you want to play or practice? I support you 100 percent.' We felt we needed to play. We got up here (Friday morning) and some guys were really affected. We called a team meeting. The coaches were behind us and we decided as a team we wanted to march to downtown Oxford.

"We kind of used it not like there was a point to it but that was the point where we were going to unify as a team, a coaching staff and all of the faculty towards making a change, trying to make a change. That's not going to be the last thing we do. Maybe the next thing won't be as drastic. Maybe it'll be going and spending time with the Boys and Girls Club of North Mississippi or us pitching in money to feed some family that needs help or whatever it is, but we're going to do something that we can do to make a difference in our community and make a difference, period."

The Rebels' opener versus Florida will be televised on ESPN at 11 a.m., meaning it's the first game of the season. Sanogo said he and his teammates haven't discussed using that platform to make a social justice statement yet, but he anticipated they would.

"I'm sure we'll reach out to Florida and do something as a unified unit," Sanogo said. "I don't know what it may be but it's a great opportunity and a great platform to do it, so I don't see why not."