Lane Kiffin sends Florida defensive back Jaydon Hill a message after injury

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin showed it’s bigger than the game, offering prayers to the Florida Gators and defensive back Jaydon Hill, who will miss the 2021 season with a torn ACL, as previously covered in this piece by On3’s Ashton Pollard.

“Florida CB Jaydon Hill tears ACL, out for season,” read Kiffin’s tweet, sending a praying hands emoji and adding “4 you”, tagging the Florida Gators football twitter account.

Florida head coach Dan Mullen previously reported the injury in his press conference on Thursday

“Jaydon Hill tore his ACL, he’ll be out for the year,” Mullen said. “Very unfortunate when you’ve got to deal with injuries. It’s really a tragedy the amount of work these guys put in, how hard they put in.”

This is Hill’s second torn ACL. He tore the same ligament in his right knee during his senior year of high school.

Hill is entering his third season at Florida. He was expected to start alongside Kaiir Elam at cornerback this season. Last season he in all 12 games, recording five starts. Hill finished the season with 14 tackles, while also notching seven pass break ups, ranking second amongst Gators defenders.

Against Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss team last season, Hill had one assisted tackle. The Rebels gashed the Gators for 443 passing yards but ultimately lost 51-35, in Kiffin’s debut as Ole Miss’ head coach.

Hill was one of just five players returning on the defensive side of the ball for Florida. This situation adds additional uncertainty to the mix.

Coming out of high school, Hill was four-star recruit from Bob Jones High School in Alabama. He committed to Florida in September of 2018, choosing the Gators over 33 other reported offers.

Lane Kiffin’s new contract

Kiffin recently received a new contract with the Rebels as previously covered in this piece by On3’s Ashton Pollard.

The new contract, which was signed in January, extends through 2024 and includes an increase each year. If Kiffin is still in Oxford at the end of the upcoming season, he will make $4.5 million plus a $500,000 retention bonus. That amount increases to $5.25 million in 2022, $5.5 million in 2023 and $5.75 million in 2024.

Kiffin’s original 2019 contract had him making $3.9 million in 2020 plus $100,000 each year until the contract ended in 2023. He would have maxed out at $4.2 million.

Lane Kiffin’s first season ended with a 5-5 record. Entering the 2021 season, Ole Miss returns eight offensive starters including quarterback Matt Corral and running backs Jerrion Early and Snoop Conner. Additionally, nine defensive starters return.