Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin Named to Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Watch List
No. 12 Rebels at least 5-1 to start for Third Straight Season
HOUSTON, Texas – (Release) Ole Miss football head coach Lane Kiffin has been named to the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award Watch List, as announced by the American Heart Association and the Bryant Awards on Tuesday.
Kiffin was among 26 coaches nationally and five within the SEC named to the watch list, which is given annually each January to a college football coach for contributions that make the sport better for athletes and fans alike by demonstrating grit, integrity and a winning approach to coaching and life – both on and off the field. In honor of legendary Alabama coach Bear Bryant, the American Heart Association and the Bryant family present the award each year to raise awareness and critical funds for scientific research to eliminate needless suffering and death from cardiovascular disease and stroke, the leading causes of death globally.
Kiffin has led the 12th-ranked Rebels to a 5-1 start in 2023, the third straight season he has done so through six games – the best such streak at Ole Miss since the Rebels did so in six straight seasons from 1957-62. The Rebels are currently one of six teams nationally with multiple AP Top 25 wins this season, with a 37-20 ranked road victory over No. 22 Tulane on Sept. 9, and an instant classic 55-49 thriller over No. 12 LSU on Sept. 30.
Kiffin is in his fourth season at Ole Miss, where he has led the Rebels to three consecutive bowl berths to start off his time in Oxford. In 11 years at the NCAA level, Kiffin has posted an all-time record of 89-48, including a 28-14 mark at Ole Miss. The Rebels ranked No. 3 nationally in rushing offense (256.6) and No. 8 in total offense (496.4) last season.
Kiffin guided the Rebels to a 10-3 record in 2021, the first 10-win regular season in school history. The Rebels finished the season ranked No. 11 in both the AP and AFCA Coaches Poll, its highest final ranking since 2016. Ole Miss ranked top-20 in the FBS in nine different offensive categories in his first season in 2020.
The 38th annual Coach of the Year award winner will be announced live from Houston’s Post Oak Hotel on Wed., Jan. 10, 2024. The watch list, finalists and Coach of the Year recipient are voted on by the National Sports Media Association, the Bryant Awards’ Executive Leadership Team and the Bryant family.
In addition to the Coach of the Year, the Bryant Awards will also present Conference Coach of the Year awards to each of the Power-5 conferences and one from the Group of Five. Former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr and Ole Miss legend Archie Manning – along with his wife, Olivia – will be recognized as well, with Carr receiving the 2024 Paul “Bear” Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award, while the Mannings will receive the 2024 Heart of a Champion Award.
2023 Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Watch List
Jeff Brohm – Louisville
Mack Brown – North Carolina
Troy Calhoun – Air Force
Curt Cignetti – James Madison
Jamey Chadwell – Liberty
Ryan Day – Ohio State
Kalen DeBoer – Washington
Eliah Drinkwitz – Missouri
Mike Elko – Duke
James Franklin – Penn State
Willie Fritz – Tulane
Jim Harbaugh – Michigan
Lane Kiffin – Ole Miss
G.J. Kinne – Texas State
Dan Lanning – Oregon
Lance Leipold – Kansas
Mike Locksley – Maryland
Mike Norvell – Florida State
Lincoln Riley – USC
Nick Saban – Alabama
Deion Sanders – Colorado
Steve Sarkisian – Texas
Kirby Smart – Georgia
Jonathan Smith – Oregon State
Mark Stoops – Kentucky
Brent Venables – Oklahoma
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.
