Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, staff and players make 2024 Ladies Forum enjoyable, informative
OXFORD, Miss. — For Rebels fans, there’s nothing like a Saturday in Vaught-Hemingway. The Ole Miss faithful watch the offensive players and coaches execute their game plan and cheer for the defense and its coaches as they give it their all to stop the opposing team’s offense.
While many fans may never truly ponder the pre-season or weekly preparation the team and coaches go through, the 315 participants of this year’s Ole Miss Football Ladies Forum learned firsthand just what it takes for Ole Miss football to prepare to compete week in and week out.
This year’s forum participants learned a great deal about the inner workings of Ole Miss football, from player rituals, “smack talk” during practice, favorite restaurants to team camaraderie, and the impact of the transfer portal and NIL, and so much more.
Here’s a look at this year’s Ladies Forum, what we learned and what some of the coaches and players had to say.
The morning session began with a tour of the football program’s facilities and a photo op with Juice Kiffin, the mascot of all mascots. Juice was happy to have the ladies swoon over him, and the ladies loved every minute of seeing him.
Juice Kiffin in attendance at the 2024 Ladies Football Forum (Photo: Donna Sprabery, The Rebel Walk)
Juice’s Grandma holds up her own personal jacket.
Coach Kiffin held a question-and-answer session facilitated by Megan McCurdy, Assistant to the Head Coach, based on questions submitted by attendees. Kiffin was asked if the new playoff system caused him to change his approach to the season.
“It hasn’t because you’ve got to get there. So, if you start changing things and practice formats or different ideas, I think that’s going to screw you up. The number one thing is to play really well, win enough games to get there, and then worry about it when we get there.”
Lane Kiffin
Another question presented to Kiffin asked if going into spring football practice differs from going into fall camp when you have a returning starting quarterback versus being in the middle of a quarterback competition or if there is always a competition.
“So, we try to create a competitive atmosphere because I think that brings out the best in everybody. Even when we have a returning starting quarterback, we still say the competition’s open. That way, it keeps everybody alive with their own hopes, and it makes the top guys better also.”
Lane Kiffin
This year’s season brings a new communication system between the quarterback and coaches, which Kiffin and staff plan to utilize. “Yes, our mics are now right into the helmet of the quarterback. So, now we can talk to the quarterback, but he can’t talk back to us,” Kiffin explained
“This way, we don’t have to signal as much, and we can even help him out and tell him certain things about what we expect the defense to do,” Kiffin continued.
Kiffin, famous for a high-tempo offense, was asked if the speed of his offense has a negative side and how it affects his defense.
Kiffin explained, “Well, I think it’s really good. You know, I think it’s exciting for fans. There’s less time between plays. You usually score more points, and I think it helps your defense because it gets them in shape in practice. And then we try to make practice so hard that the game is easier, and I think that does do that,” he said.
The transfer portal and NIL topics were addressed, and Kiffin was asked, “What do you attribute to the success that Ole Miss has with recruiting and the transfer portal? Is there one thing you can pinpoint, or is it just group effort?”
Kiffin credited the success to winning on the field, the Grove Collective’s amazing job and the excellent job coaches have done recruiting and getting the kids to play for Ole Miss all as reasons for the success of the football program.
The world of NIL has significantly changed the landscape of college football, and there doesn’t seem to be any going back.
When asked how he manages a locker room in a NIL world, Kiffin explained how coaches use NIL as a teaching example of what to expect in professional football.
“We try to explain it is like the pros now. You signed a contract. It is what it is, and you can’t sit there and say, ‘Well, I have more touchdowns than you, but you make more money than me.’ That’s just how it works. You sign a contract and then play for a year; if you play better, you get a better contract. So, just kinda teaching them that, you know, that’s how it’s going to be at the next level.”
Lane Kiffin on NIL
Kiffin’s final question of the day was regarding the best piece of coaching advice he ever received, and it’s not surprising it came from his father, Coach Monte Kiffin.
“That’s a tough one. I’ve been fortunate to be around a lot of great coaches. I remember when I first became a college coach, and I was getting ready to go on the road. I called my dad, and he said, ‘Hey. Here’s what I want to tell you. You’re going into junior colleges and high schools, and I want you to be so great to all those coaches because there are some better high school coaches than there are NFL coaches.’ I’m like, ‘Well, how can that be?’ He said, ‘Because some got opportunities. Some decided to make family decisions and didn’t want to go above high school. So, you respect these guys and give them time every high school that you go into.’”
Lane Kiffin on the best coaching advice he’s received
Coach Monte Kiffin and The Rebel Walk’s Donna Sprabery at the 2024 Ladies Football Forum.
A visit with some players and their families
Rebel football players took questions, with Jared Ivey (back row, far left) as emcee. Players are: Front row (l to r): JJ Pegues, Diego Pounds, Jaxson Dart, Ulysses Bentley IV. Back row (l to r) Jared Ivey, Jordan Watkins, Walker Howard, Brandon Turnage. (Photo: Donna Sprabery)
The ladies attending the forum were also able to hear from a few players and some family members.
One player in attendance was quarterback Jaxson Dart, who was asked what he would tell young men entering the recruiting process.
“I think the biggest thing is keeping the main thing the main thing, which is playing football and making sure that you’re excelling at that. Your film is always the deciding factor. I think the big thing I wish I would’ve had more advice about was just staying patient. You know, you’re not going to get all your answers immediately of maybe where you want to go. All that stuff just takes time. So just staying patient through it all, keeping your close circle around you, and not letting the outside noise get your head too big or, bring you down too much. I think that ties into keeping the close circle and staying patient throughout the process because it is hard.”
Jaxson Dart on recruiting advice
Caden Prieskorn and his wife, Calie, son Mac, and daughter Romy were in attendance. Calie commented on what a typical gameday is like for her and how she plans on attending away games even with the addition of a new baby.
“We’ve got a plan,” she began. “We know that I’m going, but I don’t know exactly all the details yet. I have a really good support system. You know, it’s funny. I usually go to the games alone, and I find that easier than having people with me the whole time. But it’s crazy, the community that we’ve kind of built in Oxford because I know players’ moms and my friends’ moms. And I’ve got so many of you awesome people that, y’all see Mac throwing a tantrum. You’re like, ‘Hey.’ You know, y’all are really sweet and helpful, and that kind of gets us through the games, and we appreciate that. But we’ll be there. All of them.”
Wide receiver Jordan Watkins was asked how players deal with social media during the season.
“We try to limit it as much as possible. You’re not blind to the fact that it’s there. You look to your teammates when somebody, who you’ll probably never see in your life, is saying things to you on social media that they would probably almost never say to your face. During the season is the time we tune it out the most because we are focused on football and winning games. Obviously, if we lose a game, that hurts us just as much as you guys.”
Jordan Watkins
Beverly Greenhaw, and Debbie Gentry, two friends who have attended many forums in the past but had missed the last few, were excited to return this year. Gentry explained, “This year, we’re really excited about Ole Miss football, and we decided that this year we needed to come.”
Greenhaw added, “It’s been great. I was just excited about the team, and we got to meet them and see them. It makes a difference when you’re at the game. It makes it a little more personal.”
Countdown to Kickoff
The countdown to Ole Miss football’s opening game is quickly ticking down. In fewer than 80 days, on August 31st, the Rebels will take the field in the first year of the new SEC schedule. New opponents await Ole Miss, while some old opponents won’t be seen again for perhaps quite a while.
No one knows what the 2024 season will hold, but fans can be sure the Rebels will enter the season prepared, excited, and, as their team slogan indicates, ready to hunt for an SEC championship and a trip to the national playoffs!
Here are some more photos from the Forum!
Donna Sprabery
Donna Sprabery is a former teacher, graduation coach, and academic coach for boys basketball. She graduated from the University of West Alabama with a major in business education and from Arkansas State University with a MA in Educational Leadership. A native of Meridian, MS, Donna enjoys traveling, gardening, writing, volunteer work, and cheering on the Rebels.
