Ole Miss Team Preview

OLE MISS HITTING RESET BUTTON

WHILE AIMING TO IMPROVE IN LANE KIFFIN’S SECOND YEAR

By JAKE THOMPSON

Yes, Lane Kiffin was on the sideline for the 2020 season, but to the second-year head coach this season is like hitting a reset button in many ways.

With the many protocols in place and restrictions towards recruiting last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, last season was abnormal for all teams but maybe more so for a first-year head coach such as Kiffin.

After being hired in December 2019 with the pomp and circumstance from the landing on the tarmac at the University-Oxford Airport to the welcome ceremony at the SJB Pavilion, normalcy in college football ended for Kiffin.

There was not a spring drill season as the pandemic arrived in March just weeks before the Rebels spring practices would have began. Then there was the year-plus dead period that was implemented by the NCAA, putting Kiffin even more behind in recruiting for a team with many depth issues.

Now, as the 2021 preseason sets to begin in two weeks, Kiffin has experienced his first full cycle as the Rebels head coach. Spring practices were held in April, giving his team a true offseason program.

When speaking to local media ahead of his appearance at the SEC Media Days on Tuesday, Kiffin expressed how this year feels like starting over at Ole Miss. "I feel like it's our first year even though I guess we're in our third recruiting year," Kiffin said. "I feel like it's our first year of that because kids are finally on campus that we've been talking to. ...I feel like it's all kind of a first."

Even though this season feels like a reboot to the system for Kiffin, mentally, it is not. The Rebels are out to prove they can be the same dominant offense they were in 2020 while also trying to drastically improve their defense, which was one of the worst in the country.

At the helm of the offense is quarterback

Matt Corral. The junior is the one of the top returning signal callers in the SEC and is projected by preseason prognosticators to be one of the top quarterbacks in the nation by season’s end.

All throughout fall camp, Kiffin has been very high on Corral’s progression from last season to now as well as his increased leadership role within the locker room. ”He's done a great job from a leadership standpoint, from an offensive standpoint,” Kiffin said. “The guy's accuracy is...was almost insane today...some of the throws that were made. At one point it was like a video game where you just...there's not an accurate throw. He just throws it to a guy because you push a button. It's good to see. He's got to continue to develop and do it on game days," Kiffin shared.

One question on offense that lingered into fall camp was who would fill the void of Elijah Moore, who is now making plays for the New York Jets on Sundays. The task could be one that’s completed by committee with Braylon Sanders, Jonathan Mingo, Dontario Drummond and others working together to fill the void left by Moore.

Running back is not a position of worry with Jerrion Ealy and Snoop Conner returning along with Henry Parrish, Jr. Ealy could see some time in the slot position out wide, leaving the bulk of the carries for Connor and Parrish.

The defense has a low bar to clear in terms showing signs of improvement from a season ago, but it will do so without a key piece. Leading tackler Jacquez Jones transferred to Kentucky during the summer, leaving a hole in the linebacker position.

While depth was an issue at times last season due to injuries or COVID-19, the defense bolstered its ranks in recruiting and the transfer portal. Ten of the 13 early enrollees in January were on the defense, helping provide experience on a fast track during spring and summer workouts.

Time will tell if the defense checked off all their goals to improve, starting with the Rebels season opener against Louisvill in Atlanta on Sept. 6.