Everything Lane Kiffin Said After Ole Miss Practice Tuesday

OXFORD, Miss. — After practice Tuesday, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin met with media to discuss practices and what he is seeing from his team this spring. Here’s everything he said:

Lane Kiffin opening statement

Kind of because of potential weather issues, we scrimmaged on Friday instead of Saturday. It was good to kind of change that up with them without them knowing. So, um, a lot of plays, a lot of things out there for evaluation. You know, just continuing trying to evaluate with so many new players, especially defensively. So it’s really good to go in the stadium and try to create a scrimmage game-ish atmosphere. So that was good. We’ll continue to try to do that and keep pushing on. Pleased with guys’ effort. We worked a lot on tackling today in different drills in full pads. And they did a really good job. So excited about this group and continue to work with them.

Question: Lane, it seemed like last week you kind of expressed some concern over the secondary, just saying that y’all had a lot of work to do. Just what does that specifically, from your vantage point, kind of entail? Is it more just the personnel that’s there now or just the offense-defense type thing.

Lane Kiffin: Well, there’s some injuries there with some guys not practicing, so that’s part of the concern too. So there’s just not a lot of numbers there and certainly not much experience playing. So it’s just something we’ll have to work through and continue to push guys. And hopefully as a couple guys come back from injuries, it’ll look better.

Question: I don’t know whether you followed the court case proceedings yesterday in California, but I’m curious how, if at all, you’re able to sort of plan for how you’re going to go forward in the next few weeks and months with rev share and NIL not really knowing what that ruling may or may not be.

Lane Kiffin: Yeah. Good question. But I mean, it’s kind of like giving a game plan for the game Saturday. You know, it’s pretty strategic. I think different people are doing different things, so I can’t really get into that. But it is just a continuation of a very complicated system. And, even more now that you don’t even know exactly what the rules are, or cap, or when that is going to start. And there’s even rules within when her judgment does and certain parts are supposed to start at that point. So I don’t think anybody knows the exact answer what to do? I think people are just doing different things.

Question: How frustrating is that? I mean, obviously not asking you to give away your strategy, but there’s a chance that your strategy could end up being wrong, obviously, because you’re operating in the dark. How how frustrating is that knowing that things could change dramatically?

Lane Kiffin: Yeah, there’s a bunch of different options of how to do this that different people are. And you know, there’s there’s some risk in there, too. So yeah, it’s really not ideal. But it is what it is, and it’s very complicated, actually. The answers within there of what to do and then if it does or doesn’t go through and which parts do, and potentially people could be in really tough situations if they choose A or B of those options and then, you know, it doesn’t go through.

Question: With how you like to try to balance things in spring with roster retention and having to re-recruit with that portal opening at the end of April. But with so much kind of uncertainty and new faces, are you accomplishing or on schedule with what you’re wanting to see from the team this spring?

Lane Kiffin: Yeah, we’re seeing a lot. There’s some injuries that I wish we’d have some better evals on, including a couple new guys that haven’t done anything. But again, there’s so much unknown on that part of the portal coming and the judgment, but just the portal alone. And you’re always concerned of your own guys also. I think we are fortunate that a while back when that SEC rule was made that was a really good decision because I think all coaches are concerned this time of year of their own players. And that would obviously have really set up a bad system of eating our own and not just eating our own driving prices up.

Question: Kind of on that same vein with the conversation that you’ve had with the defensive staff, and with Suntarine (Perkins) and TJ (Lottery) being out, just in what ways have you been able to kind of gauge, and what takeaways have you had with the linebacker room specifically?

Lane Kiffin: Yeah, I think it’s been great for those new guys, three new guys that have played a lot in there. So that’s been a really good opportunity for them. Tyler Banks has been really good for us. So, you know, we just look at the positives of it. And when those guys get back, they’ll be back.

Question: On the California case again, not not asking for details, but who do you strategize with? Is that something you talk about with Keith and like, keep it in-house, the strategy, or are you sending out feelers to retired coaches or friends in the coaching world?

Lane Kiffin: Yeah, retired coaches wouldn’t be able to do much because there’s no history of dealing with this. So, I’ve had conversations with other coaches just, you know, again, there’s some strategy in there, kind of like off season studies and stuff where they’re only going to give you so much. But then Keith, Walker, Billy, our GM, there’s a lot of conversations in there strategically.

Question: You were talking about, Tyler Banks. Just how impressed are you just with his ability over the last few years to just to continue to stay the course? You know, especially with bringing in the linebackers that you have past couple of years and him just waiting his turn.

Lane Kiffin: He’s a great story. Great job by his parents raising him. And now when nobody just for the most part stays when it doesn’t go exactly their way, he’s rare to have played special teams, played some defense, but not, you know, start like he’s wanted to, and stay all the way through like this. It’s a really rare story nowadays. And it really goes into, you know what? There were benefits of this system for the players. There’s major costs for the system, you know, and staying places and continuing to get better in systems and seeing things through and going there and graduating from where you started. And now it’s just rare and it’s rare in our sport now, certainly what’s going on in basketball, it’s extremely rare. So, I mean, can this actually really be good for student athletes just for I mean, you got the NFL to do that. You got professional sports to do that. Sso there’s some really good stuff for the players, but I think there’s much more cost to the player that they don’t know because they’re just so excited to have money. And then that’s going to solve everything in life, they think. I think down the road we’ll see that there’s a lot of problems that are going to come out of this system and just jumping around all the time for the next paycheck.

Question: Coach with a lot of moving pieces in your running back room, how have you kind of evaluated what your backs have looked like so far? And as well, with kind of Logan Diggs coming back kind of full time now, what are you seeing from him?

Lane Kiffin: I think Logan’s done a really good job. I think last year he never got healthy, even when we played him in the bowl game. So that’s been good for him to have an off season. He looks more comfortable playing without a brace. Kewan has done a good job transition coming over and we’ve added some other guys there to create competition, which has been good.

Question: I think we’re getting him here in a little bit, but, Caleb Odom, just what have your impressions of him been since he got here?

Lane Kiffin: Yeah, he made some really big plays today. You know, transitioned to being a full time receiver, you know, still working on that and all the stuff that goes with that and the splits and all the rules and releases. So, I think he’s done a great job.