Lane Kiffin remembers impact Corey Adams had at Ole Miss

Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin will carry the memory of Corey Adams with him this 2025 football season. It was reported last week that Adams was tragically killed in a shooting that occurred in Tennessee.

It has been tough news on all those who knew the 18-year-old freshman defensive lineman who enrolled at the school this past winter. That includes his teammates and coaches, who were in attendance at his funeral on Saturday. When Kiffin arrived for his press conference on the first day of fall camp Tuesday, it was the first thing he addressed at the podium.

“He was just with us for a short time, but he made a major impact on us by how he worked, who he was, how he led even as a freshman,” the coach said of Adams. “Very rarey do we ever have a freshman that in offseason conditioning and running was challenging seniors to finish in a standard. That’s who he was. Just a tragic passing.

“Obviously, our thoughts and prayers have been with the family and having them up here and spending time with them. But out of respect to them, I don’t have any more comments on that.”

Corey Adams was a three-star recruit in the 2025 recruiting cycle out of Edna Karr High School in New Orleans, Louisiana. He ranked as the No. 610 overall player and the No. 58 edge rusher in the class according to the Rivals Industry Ranking.

The Rebels players will carry heavy hearts after his passing, and sadly he’ll never get to make the impact on the field that it was clear he could even from very early on. But that doesn’t mean he can’t still have an impact this year through how he inspired them in his short time in Oxford.

The Memphis Commercial Appeal reported on Monday that no arrests had been made in the shooting. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office has brought in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to help investigate.

Adams was the only person fatally shot in the incident, though four other people were also injured. The shooting allegedly took place at a pool party when the young defensive end was just trying to enjoy some time off during the summer before football began.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Crimestoppers at 528-CASH. There is reportedly a $4,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest.