What he said/What he meant is presented by MyPerfectFranchise.net. Are you looking to diversify? Are you looking to leave the corporate rat race to gain control of your income and schedule? My Perfect Franchise dot net offers the ability to create income and wealth. Let Andy Luedecke guide you through a comprehensive franchise evaluation – he has tons of franchise and business ownership experience to lean on. Do you hate you job? Do your hate your boss? Do you hate your pay? Do you feel stuck? Andy can help. Contact Andy Luedecke at Andy@MyPerfectFranchise.net.
OXFORD — Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin met with the media on Wednesday, a few hours after the Rebels’ first practice of the 2022 football season.
Here’s a look at what Kiffin said — and just maybe, what he meant — during his 20 minutes or so with the local media.
What he said: “Good to be out there today. We have a lot of moving parts as we’ve discussed all spring and good players, and like we told the team in the team meeting, this is a different era nowadays in general. You don’t have programs where everyone has been there for years in your program understanding what the expectations are. I’m sure a lot of people are doing this, but especially us with the amount of transfers and having some many people and guys who are supposed to be big players for us being new, it’s a big challenge of our’s. It’s about how well we can get the players to buy into the values and principles of our organization and what we do here because we know that’s not just gonna happen overnight. The challenge now is the faster we can do that, the better we’ll be. The team last year did that really well and it became a player’s team, so we have a lot of work to do because that team had spent a lot of time together to get to that point.”
What he meant: OK, I’m going to be careful here, as I know some things about some transfer portal guys via some off-the-record conversations. However, it’s fairly obvious some of the portal guys haven’t fully bought in to doing things the way Kiffin and Co. want, and that message was being delivered subtly via media today.
On what he’s looking for from both of his quarterbacks…
What he said: “I could’ve predicted that being the first question. We’re looking for the guy that leads the team and moves the team the best. The intangibles within that are timing, accuracy and decision making, but that’s why we also chart things like production by series once we get into scrimmages so we can look at it by series and say this is how many points this team scores. That’s the bottom line is are you going to turn the ball over or are you going to score it? I think competition is great for anybody, especially with both of them being young, but I do think that makes you better no matter how old you are. The guy’s also gotta play better around whoever it is because you’re replacing a veteran quarterback that played extremely well and at times put an injured offense on his shoulders and was able to do it himself in order to win the game. One of these guys isn’t going to fill that role exactly yet, so it’s going to take having other people around them to help with that.”
What he meant: This answer is pretty self-explanatory. It’s going to come down to who has a better preseason camp, who can lead scoring drives, who can protect the football. He also doesn’t need or want either quarterback getting down. There’s a real chance Ole Miss needs both Jaxson Dart and Luke Altmyer this season, regardless of who takes the first snap against Troy on Sept. 3. Neither guy is ready to truly replace Matt Corral at this point.
On if he has a timetable for deciding who the starting quarterback will be…
What he said: “Yeah I mean we’d like to find out sooner rather than later, and like everything else we do here we have analytics, so with the more information we have the better we can make a decision. We can’t rush that. I can think of one time in the past where we did and ended up making the wrong decision because we didn’t have enough information yet, so however long that takes. Ideally we’d never like for that to go into the season, but we’re never going to rule that out without knowing for sure who it’s going to be.”
What he meant: There’s no rush here. The season opener is a month away. The more information accumulated before the decision is made, the better the chance of it being the right decision. That said, I thought it was interesting that Kiffin said he’d like to have this decision made before the start of the season. The next three weeks or so are going to be critical.
On if the next step for the program is to win the division and get to the SEC Championship…
What he said: “I don’t think like that, and I may be wrong, but I think each year is so new especially nowadays with the turnover of your roster. To think that we left off here and we’re supposed to be here, this isn’t the NFL where you have most of your roster returning next year and taking the next step. Not just our roster is different, but the people that we play are different. So no I don’t look at it that way, that’s looking so far ahead. I’m not saying that it isn’t achievable, but that’s just so far from today. We’re still on today and trying to get guys better today and trying to figure things out, so we’ll worry about that down the road.”
What he meant: Again, Kiffin made a comment implying he’s not thrilled with some current guys/current guys’ attitudes. He wants to win championships, but today, he was focused on the here and now, trying to get everyone in the program on the same page. I found it to be a sign of maturity. Of course he wants to take the next step as a program. However, he knows he has a bit of a culture issue and his focus is on that right now.
On the defense’s depth and how things may look with injuries…
What he said: “It’s good to have those guys back out there and healthy. We’re looking at a lot of different ways to move people around and see what’s best because that’s a big concern for us. We just have to figure out the best people to play and the best systems to play in because we don’t just run a system no matter what and make players fit into that, we look at the players and who’s the best to play and then form a system around them. That’s why year in and year out we’ve looked different on offense and defense. I think this year on defense you’re going to have a lot of that because we lost a lot of moving parts and some really key players. We’re going to have some challenges there as we figure out what’s the best way to play and how many lineman and linebackers and defensive backs can do that for us.”
What he meant: Ole Miss was looking at lots of different options at linebacker Wednesday, but that’s not the worst problem to have. Kiffin has rebuilt the Ole Miss roster, but they’re going to need to be creative a bit to figure out the best lineup defensively.
On what the progression of training camp will look like moving forward…
What he said: “We’re just starting things out where it’s going to be a lot more focused on the evaluation of players with how they’re moving, how they’re playing and where they’re at from the last time we saw them. That’s kind of how we’ll be operating a lot of different positions like the quarterback thing. That’s more important today so that eventually when that decision comes and having proven each player individually, it’ll be a lot easier to get going.”
What he meant: They’ve had one day of practice. Early on, the staff is going to be evaluating guys and combinations. They’re not making big judgements on one day of work.
On how he plans to get this year’s team to buy in like last year’s…
What he said: “That’s a lot more challenging because I feel like we didn’t lose a ton of players from year one to year two that had really significant roles compared to now in year two to year three. We were able to have two years with those guys. If you look at our guys now when you look on paper, the guys that you’re saying are going to be significant players, a lot of them are brand new. There are times where we’re running 7-on-7 or 8-on-8 and I’m looking at six out of eight people who didn’t sign here out of high school and were transfers. That’s just the challenge that we’re into and we gotta make sure that we look into everything including whether we simplify our systems because so many people are new just so we can make sure that they’re playing fast. We have a lot of work to do, and it’s important culture-wise to stress to these guys that this is how we do things. It’s like a blended family coming together that has a parent somewhere else. We’re better, but we’re different.”
What he meant: Again, another message to transfer portal guys. Some simply aren’t doing everything they’re asked yet, and Kiffin needs that to change. It’s really that simple. It’s super early, obviously, so the fact this is being addressed this way this early is likely a good thing.
On if he’s seen any progress in any specific areas so far…
What he said: “Well it’s been half a day, so we’ll see. It’s the first day so usually everybody is just worried about getting back into the swing of things right now.”
What he meant: One of the things I love about Kiffin is he destroys gratuitous questions.
On how to balance keeping players healthy with figuring out who can really play…
What he said: “It’s challenging and different year-to-year based off what you have returning and what you already know about them. If you’ve got a significant player that’s returning and played a full year or two, you know you don’t have to push as much. For all these new guys that still have to learn how to play in your system and together, it’s like a basketball team with a lot of free agents where now we just have to play a lot of pick-up together.”
What he meant: With so many new pieces and the clear need to build chemistry and culture, taking it easy in preseason camp is a luxury this team likely can’t afford.
On what his thoughts are on playing two quarterbacks…
What he said: “We’re always going to look at everything and decide what’s best for the team, not look at what we’ve done in the past or what we’ve done before. In general I think it’s different for quarterbacks and people pull them too fast. It’s not like a pitcher that then has some time and pitches again four days or games later. There’s a lot of mental stuff when it comes to playing quarterback. To get pulled is a big deal, so to me we’re going to make sure a guy has had every opportunity and that what’s been going on is his fault. People pull people off of production like if a guy threw three picks, but then doesn’t say well actually two of them were tipped or the receiver ran the wrong route, they just pull them because that’s what I’m supposed to do so that I look good when I come in front of you guys after the game. That’s not what we do around here.”
What he meant: I’m not sure what else Kiffin can say at this point. He’s answered the quarterback questions for now. Reporters aren’t listening.
On how crucial the first day of fall camp is to establish the tone for the remainder of the season…
What he said: “It’s the only day we have. It’s important. It’s long times. We always try to get better today. Again, we don’t have pads on, and there’s a ton of work to do. We’re not making a lot of decisions out of today.”
What he meant: Oh, for the love of all things holy…
On if he thought his dog would become a recruiting tool…
What he said: “I think it’s a lot of things. It may seem like this is planned and that this is their life. This was not. It looks pretty brilliant, actually, using the dog as a recruiting tool. College GameDay’s already been here for a story on that down the line. It has its Twitter and JuiceFest and all this. This was just my dog wanting followers, which I didn’t really want.”
What he meant: I actually believe him. Lane Kiffin is a fascinating person and how a British Lab puppy became the face of the program is just incredible.
On the evolution of Juice…
What he said: “I actually, as you asked that, things happen and you probably don’t know why they happen with different things. You probably don’t think that Juice would make me coach better, but we’re at [Wild Rose Kennel] now. Today’s the third day. I don’t know how to train a dog. I don’t really do what they tell me to do. Juice is not really well behaved right now. Wild Rose came and got him. He’s on day three of training camp. They’ll come get him in the morning and take him out. They give me a list of notes of this is what he does well, this is what he did today, and actually video the things. Actually this morning when meeting about it, there’s so many similarities here to buying in and bringing people in to the culture because they’ll call me saying, ‘We’re bringing him in.’ All of the sudden he’s around these other dogs and how well they’re training has to do with a lot of the training with him, and him not being distracted by all the other things. He’s going through the same thing we’re going through. We’re bringing people into the organization with transfers in. They’ve got to buy in. Here’s a puppy that needs to be taken in over there with all these other dogs that have been training the whole time, and Juice isn’t listening to what he needs to be doing. I kind of feel like that’s some of our transfers right now.”
What he meant: This was directed at a specific transfer or two. Buy-in is an issue right now. It probably won’t be in the long-term, and I also suspect Juice will be better behaved after his training camp.
On if being at home has made him fall in love with the dog more than he expected…
What he said: “I did not think that was going to happen. I think probably the typical of the kid gets the puppy, loves the puppy nonstop, and then all of the sudden you’re taking care of it. That’s what happened this summer. And now that Juice isn’t quite so cute, she doesn’t want to take him anywhere anymore. The dog comes with me right now. Kind of goes everywhere with me. That’s kind of the whole story. For those who have teenage kids, today they come in and says, ‘We need a Juice plan.’ Here’s my problem, now all of the sudden, if he’s over there and I say, ‘Juice, come here.’ He doesn’t come. He just starts walking over there. At first, he used to follow me everywhere. My daughter’s a teenager, so think about your teenage kids and how they listen. That’s how Juice is right now at 5 months.”
What he meant: I felt this answer. It was Game 4 of the 2017 NLCS and suddenly I was getting called into the living room to look at these pictures of a black Lab puppy. My family swore it would take care of the puppy if we got it. Next thing you know, I’m on my way to Texarkana to buy this dog. Guess who takes care of Rizzo? Who walks him? Who does he hang out with? Whose attention does he covet? It’s not my daughters. That’s for damn sure. I felt this answer. Lane and I have a lot in common. He probably doesn’t want to acknowledge that, and I don’t blame him.
On parenting a dog or kids…
What he said: “Teenage daughter is about as tough as it gets.”
What he meant: He’s not wrong.
On if Michael Trigg can me compared to Kyle Pitts…
What he said: “Mingo isn’t exactly a personal director, so I wouldn’t call him Kyle Pitts right now. He’s got a lot of talent. He does have height, weight, speed combination that makes a great player, but he’s got a long way to go. Again, some of these guys think they’re older than they are because they transferred, and he just finished his true freshman year. He’s got a very high ceiling with a lot of talent out there. I’d love for him to be a great player.”
What he meant: He was answering a question built around a quote from Jonathan Mingo. This was a hint, I’m guessing, that Kiffin isn’t thrilled with some of Michael Trigg’s actions so far. Trigg can be a great player, but he’s really young, and today, he wasn’t running with the 1s or 2s. I mean, I think one might be able to connect some dots.
On how recruiting has changed with Juicefest…
What he said: “I didn’t make this up here, and I don’t think I’ve said it before. We don’t think outside the box. We just create a new box. I didn’t make that up. We actually have Randall Joyner who’s been here for a year now. He was talking to some people to recruit some parents and explaining how coach does this and how this program is run. He used that term. I thought that really is how we do it. That goes into this stuff. So instead of sitting here and saying, ‘Recruiting now isn’t how it used to be, and it should be different. Kids care too much about taking pictures and photoshoots.’ It is what it is. We’ll figure a way out to do it really well. We have some really creative people in that area, especially over this last year where we’ve created some new ideas with cars and Juicefest and what kids want nowadays.”
What he meant: Just that. Kiffin has been great about creating his own box in recruiting. It’s led to some success here recently.
On the mix between high school kids and transfers…
What he said: “No. I think that’s the combination of getting out of COVID. You can recruit more and get out in the spring. Kids can be here more often. That also has to do with success, so recruiting usually approves anyone on the field. When you get to a program, hands down, you have to say, ‘Come here and this is what it will be like.’ That takes a lot of faith. Versus when you win, now you can say, ‘We’re already winning, so it’s the cool thing to do now.’ We’ve got cool uniforms. Players have fun. We win games. That makes it a lot easier, so I think that’s more of the progress.”
What he meant: This was my question. I was wondering if the recruiting strategy had changed. He said it really hasn’t, even though it looks like there’s a shift toward high school guys. I have no reason to doubt the veracity of his answer.
On the most important thing on the first day…
What he said: “I think because of the ratio of new players on the roster is really a lot of how we prepare and how we practice. Not as much seeing necessarily and getting everyone on the same page in that way. We had players out there today tackling people. There’s a lot of work to do.”
What he meant: Why do TV guys ask these questions 20 minutes into a presser? I’ll never know.
On balancing new players with the transfer portal…
What he said: “That’s always a thing that’s adjusting. I don’t think that you say it’s this many or this many, because there’s too many variables. Guys leave early. Guys transfer. All of your players over this year before the next year’s class comes, do you have the chance to see really good high school players go compete? If you’re sitting there, then you’re waiting on transfers. The better your program is and the more you win, the more you sign high school programs. You’ve got to see most elite programs aren’t signing a bunch of transfers because they’re just filling spots. They’re not filling gaps because they’ve been there at a really high level for three or four years on their roster.”
What he meant: I thought this was interesting. Kiffin acknowledged that the elite programs are landing high school guys. He wants to win big at Ole Miss; I know that. So I’m expecting a shift to high school guys. Maybe I’ll be wrong.
On being excited about the backfield…
What he said: “I’d say there’s good and bad about everything. When you lose what you did so many players in the backfield and you have new ones, that’s bad. But it’s also good because you’ve got new ones to learn from. You may use them in a different ways than the last group. Just figuring out that out is exciting and fun to do. It’s usually better having the whole team returning, but sometimes this makes you a better coach because you’ve got to figure new things out.”
What he meant: Kiffin liked the former guys but he’s excited about the new guys. Personally, I think the new running back room has more potential than the old one, but Kiffin isn’t going to say that after one practice. Nor should he.
