Everything Lane Kiffin said after Ole Miss practice Thursday, August 17

OXFORD, Miss. – (Release) Ole Miss football head coach Lane Kiffin met with the media Thursday to discuss the ongoing fall training camp. A transcript can be found below:

Opening Statement:

“Alright, so really kind of the same messaging as far as what’s going on out there. I think the guys have had great energy and really coming together. Really good culture for so many new guys, obviously you have culture until adversity hits. Excited about where the team is at. I think the pieces are coming together on defense and limited explosive plays. Sometimes in camp, there’s been an issue defensively, especially last year because of so many new guys coming in, you know that happens. I feel like these new players have come in, and a lot of them have a lot of experience, that’s a big factor in helping that. So, they’re really good about competition in a number of spots, offensive line, more running back competition now, tight ends are very deep, and receivers. So, it’s been really good all around.”

On the Quarterbacks:

“I think those guys are doing really well. I think that Coach [Charlie] Weis has spent a ton of time with so many new guys. I mean, the whole room knew for the most part scholarship-wise, but Jaxson [Dart] is only going on his second year here. So, they’ve done a really good job. Lots on that position here with the system to be able to function. I think they’re all doing pretty good so that’s pretty general. Younger guys have really grasped onto the learning system and doing a good job. The older guys continue to improve, Spencer [Sanders] is healthy now. It was not the case all of spring so he’s done some good things, especially in some live scrimmage-type situations.”

On the challenge in working with offenses that are different speeds:

“Well, I think we’re really familiar with that. I think at Oregon State, Jonathan Smith, they do a great job and they kind of run a lot of what we used to run years ago offensively. So, watching Jam [Griffin] on film was very familiar with what they do. I think this is easier for people that have allowed the evolution of why I’ve changed, it’s because it’s easier on players to learn fast. We’ve shown that with a lot of guys coming here. You know, guys come here really late and start even. Jam’s done a great job and I think that transition period, which would’ve been longer had we been longer terminology, more pro-style, I’m going to shorten up now.”

On Offensive Line Coach John Garrison:

“John is a really great offensive line coach in person and spends a ton of time with them. I’ve had him for years, my brother actually worked with him a long time ago at Nebraska. I had him at FAU for a year before we lost him there. I’ve tried multiple times to get him here and wasn’t able to, so I’m excited about how much guys have improved up there and I think you’ll see some different names playing on Saturdays too as a result of that.”

On how the mental health training translates to the team culture:

“I think players know or are aware of it more in open doors. The fact, well if the coaches did this, now it’s a lot easier to talk about when issues come up. I think that’s part of the improvement of our culture too with guys coming in and knowing that’s how we do it here, maybe it’s different from where they were at before. You don’t have to go just shut up and play football. I think that’s been really good.”

On how the mental health training will translate to performances on the field:

“I don’t know, that wasn’t the goal. I don’t know that it necessarily does, it is much more about helping them in life.”

On possible starting 11:

“Sounds weird for me to say I don’t know because I’m supposed to be the one that knows. I don’t know. You know it’s challenging because both guys do a lot of really good things, both guys have played a lot. Go back to USC at the end ,so this is Jaxson’s third year of starting some games. Spencer’s probably started as many as anybody in the country. It’s challenging but it’s an awesome problem to have that battle like that and also have multiple guys instead of one guy. I think it makes them better and it makes our team better.”

On Hudson Wolfe coming back from injury:

“I think JDB’s (tight ends coach John David Baker) really restructured this room really well. This has been an issue since we’ve been here when we got here. You guys have seen where we played a game without one last year and they now have quality competition really deep, you know four or five guys in there that you know are doing things. So, it’s been really good, really refreshing and you know that’s our goal. You know if you want a good team you got to break it down smaller and say, ‘Okay, you got to improve each position group.’ So if our whole team had improved in the last few years like our tight end group, we’d be a special personnel team, so that’s our goal in those changes in some spots like tight end and quarterback.”

On special teams unit:

“[Special teams coordinator] Jake [Schoonover] has come in and has done a really good job with the guys. We do so much drill work until we get really late towards the game that it’s hard to see it all come together from that standpoint, but I’m excited about it and excited about our kicking game, competition at kicker and our return game.”

On schedule change as game day approaches:

“We’ve done a lot in the offseason as always but we do next week starts to get players more into in-season practice and game prep mode.”

On quarterback reps and keeping veterans:

“I’ll answer the last part. If everyone’s playing, the others aren’t happy so that’s pretty much the nature of players in general but especially that position. But we don’t do things a certain way just because they have been done before. You heard that a million times here, so you know obviously the old book is to get to one and if you have two you play two and figure it out. But if you got to rep three, we’ll be open to anything and just figure it out as we go.”

On the addition of Jam Griffin was a need or luxury:

“I think both really. You got what is a really talented player that has played in some big games and done a good job and that was not very deep position number-wise.”

Evelyn Van Pelt

Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.