Say what you want about Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin.
On-the-field, the same reoccurring road-blocks seem to be getting in his way of contending for a Playoff spot.
However, off-the-field, he certainly seems to have grown in terms of maturity and self-awareness.
Unfortunately, college football is a bottom-line business, and the bottom line is his Rebels have become the Penn State of the SEC.
In other words, Ole Miss has no problem dominating lesser conference foes, and they look spectacular doing so … However, when it comes time to take on the two big-boys in the conference, they can never get over the hump.
Those two big-boys for James Franklin’s Nittany Lions are Ohio State and Michigan … For Kiffin’s Rebs, it’s Alabama and Georgia.
Fresh off another beating at the hands of the Bulldogs, Kiffin was very honest about what exactly the problem in Oxford is.
“I’m very realistic … That was not a playoff-looking team at all that we put out there (Saturday). The last thing I’m worried about is that knocking us out of the playoffs. We don’t deserve to be in the playoffs,” he said.
Lane Kiffin on what Ole Miss needs to do to be more competitive in this big-time games:
"We have to recruit at a higher level. I'm not blaming (the players), we have to coach better.
"We have signed one five-star, (Georgia) signed 24." pic.twitter.com/FgybUP9DjW
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) November 12, 2023
To his credit, Kiffin accepted responsibility and admitted that the program needs to recruit at a higher level – and that falls on him.
“We’ve got to recruit at a higher level. I’m not blaming. We’ve got to coach better. At some point, whatever those stats are – we’ve signed one five-star, they’ve signed 24,” he said, referring to Georgia.
“It kind of (does) show up at some point … We would have to recruit at a better level. Do a better job of recruiting.”
Lane Kiffin shared an absolutely brutal assessment of Ole Miss recruiting following the blowout loss to Georgia, and his body language was ROUGH.
Credit to Kiffin for not running and hiding like so many do these days when things get tough.
WATCH: https://t.co/7hF0LjfGKE pic.twitter.com/wdpKyrMeLF
— OutKick (@Outkick) November 13, 2023
Some people interpreted those comments as Kiffin believing there’s a “ceiling” to what he can accomplish in the great state of Mississippi.
Perhaps it’s no coincidence that the comments were made as Kiffin’s name began to circle in the rumor mills as being a possible replacement for the fired-Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M.
Is that how you took it?
Do you think Kiffin is interested in the Aggies job?
We know the resources and recruiting ground is much stronger in College Station.
Is Kiffin angling for the A&M job?
Should they be interested in him???