It's time for The Mailbag, presented by Whitney McNutt of Tommy Morgan Inc. Realtors, Edition 105.
I asked for your questions. You delivered. So here we go...
From Raylon:Â Why do we lack physicality and how does that change? Is there still a finesse culture from Freeze?
I think this is simple. Ole Miss didn't recruit at a high enough level as it pertained to players near the line of scrimmage. There aren't enough big, athletic people. It's really that simple. It's the challenge for Lane Kiffin and Co. The competition for those types of athletes is intense. Ole Miss has to figure out how to win those recruiting battles.
From DeuceMccluster22: KIffin is about to be a very sought after man amongst the sec, which school do you think would we have to be concerned most in regards of him landing at next bc these are the schools that are about to experience freshmeat soon... LSU, Auburn, South Carolina or Alabama?I can't think as to why he wouldn't take LSU.... I'd say he hesistant to go to auburn bc he doesn't want to battle w saban in state.... SC... meh.... and I could definately see him at bama once saban retires.
I mean this kindly, but the man has coached two games at Ole Miss. Two. He's got to win a lot more than one game at Kentucky for this question to have any traction whatsoever. But remember my supermodel analogy. It's apropos.
From ByTheBigTree:  What would this staff have done in 2019? I know they wouldn’t have won all the toss up games, but surely they go better than 4-8.
It would've stuck with Corral, but it's impossible to say. It's a fun hypothetical, and on the surface, I'd say it would've beaten Cal and Mississippi State. So that's 6-6. Maybe it wins at Missouri. Maybe it beats Texas A&M. I don't know. There would be lots of variables.
From nas5108:Â What was the birthday celebration like for Carson in the McCready house?
Pretty calm. My parents came over. We grilled filets from LBs Meat Market and my mom made him a chocolate pie. We lit a fire and hung out and then he went upstairs to watch the NBA Finals. He was tired. He had soccer all day Saturday and had to get up at 6 a.m. Sunday to get back to Memphis for more soccer.
From nas5108:Â What is your take on Doc Rivers landing with Philly? Should they trade one of Embiid or Simmons for a piece or 2 that fits better with the remaining guy or do you think they should make tweaks around those 2 and they could win a title with that duo?
Unless you can get value for Simmons, you hang on to him. You'd be a fool to move Embiid. He's a superstar. Doc is a solid coach. He's not elite but he's solid. The players will respect him. It's just very hard to win an NBA title.
From ChargerRebel:Â What do the Celtics need to do going forward and is it fair to say that maybe Stevens was the right coach to get them out of the rebuild but not the right guy going forwards?Also, is the team in worse shape now defensively than it was in 2012 when Freeze took over so getting the defense turned round talent wise will take longer?
No, I don't think it's fair to say that about Stevens. I thought Hayward's injury in the playoffs hurt them. It threw off their chemistry and then they had internal issues with Marcus Smart, et. al. They're right there. It's just hard to win a title.
I can't remember the defensive talent in 2012. The league was different then, too. It's going to take a couple of years to get where Ole Miss wants to get defensively. Defensive linemen don't grow on trees.
From TSUN cheats: Do you think there will come a day where you don’t work for rivals anymore and you just work for mpw digital?
I have learned not to think that far ahead. I'm one week at a time. I don't know what my future holds. I really have no clue. Rivals has been good to me, and MPW Digital feels like it has momentum. However, the economy could change in November. Life circumstances could change. I am trying to get to Saturday. I'll wake up Sunday and try to get to the next Saturday. Right now, that's as far as I think.
From North Tampa Rebel:Â Assuming Kiffin has to have a QB in this class, do you give Altmeyer a deadline of when you have to move on to plan b? If so, when is the deadline?
That's an assumption I don't make. I don't know how he feels about Renfro and Dent. I would think he'd like a quarterback in this class, but he shouldn't take one just to take one. That rarely works. I suspect he'll recruit Altmyer to the very end.
From DrBobLoblaw: Based on what you’ve heard/seen, what is Matt Corral’s ceiling?
He's got an NFL arm. He's making great decisions right now. He's athletic. I'm not going to put a ceiling on him. We'll see.
From MBA Rebel: with Antonio Harmon’s size could he be a flex TE? He seems to have proven his ability and speed this season, but seems like he could be a matchup nightmare as a TE. Just your general thoughts?
I've never seen him play.
I'll have to defer to Zach Berry.
Here's Zach:
Harmon would be an OJ Howard type at tight end and would thrive in this offense. Is he willing to do that? We'll see.
From groverebel: A brand new Power 5 university has just opened its doors and you have been hired as the first Athletics Director in school history. It currently has nothing - no facilities, no budget, no traditions, no fan base / booster network, etc. The chancellor has told you that you need to hire coaches for the Big 3 Men's Sports, but you can ONLY hire existing SEC coaches and you MUST hire them as a 3-person package. If you don't reach ALL OF a new years day bowl game, a sweet 16 AND a college world series within 4 years, you will be fired. Who are you going with? In other words, the point of the game is to identify which SEC school you think has purely the best set of men's big 3 sports coaches while stripping away advantages/disadvantages such as facilities, budgets, state scholarship rules, etc. For your benefit, the choices are:School - football, basketball, baseball:Arkansas – Pittman, Musselman, Van HornMissouri – Drinkwitz, Martin, BieserVanderbilt – Mason, Stackhouse, CorbinSouth Carolina – Muschamp, Martin, KingstonTennessee – Pruitt, Barnes, VitelloOle Miss – Kiffin, Davis, BiancoAuburn – Malzahn, Pearl, ThompsonKentucky – Stoops, Calipari, MingioneMississippi State – Leach, Howland, LemonisTexas A&M – Fisher, Williams, ChildressFlorida – Mullen, White, O’SullivanGeorgia – Smart, Crean, StricklinLSU – Orgeron, Wade, MainieriAlabama – Saban, Oats, Bohannon
This will upset many here, but I wouldn't even think about baseball. It just doesn't matter on any real national level.
I'd go with Saban and Oats. Saban is the very best and look at Oats' recruiting. He's on the cusp of landing five-star talent in Tuscaloosa. If I can win big in football and basketball, my baseball program can be a dumpster fire for all I care.
From nas5108: When Vandy gets rid of Derek Mason would it be smart for them to go all in on a gimmick and hire a coach who will run the triple option offense like Paul Johnson did at Georgia Tech? He wasn’t a world beater there but made 9 bowls and was solid. Seems like that might be the best bet for them to at least be able to compete a little better since it is an offense that tends to give teams with considerably less talent a chance.
No, gimmicks don't work, certainly not in the SEC. I'd go get a young, vibrant coach and try again. I'm not sure it's possible at Vanderbilt. The commitment to football is lacking, and it shows.
From Hannitized: PLEASE do a piece like "Jay Walking" with Jeffery and a live mike asking Ole Miss fans random questions in The Grove or outside VH.  Can not the answers to obvious questions. Ratings BONANZA!
In Oxford, the COVID fear is so strong that a roving reporter would terrify people. The mayor and alderman would have to hold a special meeting to discuss the feelings of the community.
From Gatsby01:Â Given the fact that we are penalized by the ncaa and the sec for players transferring to OM, does that give kids pause to transfer to our program over a different school where they would probably receive a waiver to play immediately? On a related note, has anyone specifically asked Keith Carter what is being done to get an answer one way or the other from the ncaa on Otis. If not, can someone ask him?
No, I don't think that kind of thing factors in to a kid's thought process. Yes, questions have been asked. Generalities are given as answers.
From $WithARebelYell$:Â Kiffin can pick the next three commits. Who do you think he would want to add?
Again, I defer to Zach.
Here's Zach:
Tywone Malone
Luke Altmyer
Junior Colson
From tdgmiller:Â #19Has Jalen Williams said anything regarding a commitment timeline?Do you think both him and Gordon would start on the current Dline?
Another Zach question.
Here's Zach:
No and yes. Florida State seemed to be in his ear the most, but the Rebels seem to have his attention and then some now. Again, the product on the field is Kiffin's biggest advocate right now. The immediate need for help is obvious and others see that.
From Little Mike Strojny:Â I think defense is a complete rebuild. How many classes does it take to completely overhaul a defense? How much do we stand to lose off of the offense? How many more do they take in this class versus transfer?
It's going to take at least two full classes to rebuild the defense, and that includes some transfer luck.
You'd have to think Elijah Moore is headed to the draft. I suspect there will be other attrition.
I think they've got 7-ish additional scholarships to work with. I have no idea how they'll implement that. Right now, they probably don't either.
From Kylethehoss:Â What is your best chili recipe?
Here's my new favorite.
From nas5108: Considering that Cade Mays and Joey Gatewood both received full waivers and are eligible to play after transferring within the conference do you really not think the NCAA still has some type of a grudge against OM considering Reese is in a very similar situation to those 2 but has not been cleared by the NCAA? (I know not all transfers are the exact same but still it’s ridiculous).
I just don't know. I've asked. I can't get a solid answer. Maybe there's more to it than I know. The SEC has signed off on it, so it's an NCAA thing. And again, I simply don't know.
From pants83:Â If things go to plan, does the 2022 Ole Miss game have a good chance to decide the West?
I assume you mean the Alabama-Ole Miss game in 2022. That would be the case if EVERYTHING goes according to plan for Ole Miss. That seems a bit ambitious, but my bet is Ole Miss is getting really close by then.
From shongola57:Â When the time arrives that you are asked to be the graduation speaker for the Harvard of the North Central region of Louisiana, what will be your message to those lucky enough to be graduating that day?
No one's ever asking me to speak at a graduation. I mean, that's not happening. My career, no matter how you cut it, is abject failure.
My message would be simple though. Work hard, don't be afraid to fail, connect to strong people, do your best.
From rebelpsychologist:Â Is there any indication from players or coaches that a lack of crowds has helped or hurt the home team? Could a packed house at Tiger stadium have made a difference for LSU against State or a sold-out Kentucky have willed them to beat OM?
All I'm hearing from contacts around the league is crowd noise isn't an issue. It feels like spring games or scrimmages. There is no home-field advantage. Is that making a difference? Sure. It's leveling the playing field.
From Levi275:Â Can Ole Miss become what Kiffin/the broadcasters from Saturday eluded to, a sort of SEC version of Oregon? A fun, entertaining program that builds its own successful brand?Granted, Ole Miss will have to do it without Phil Knight's money to help them along
I think that is precisely the plan. Can it work? We're about to find out.
