Ole Miss football head coach Lane Kiffin now has proof of concept with Sugar Bowl berth
When it comes to the recruiting front, Lane Kiffin is in a much better position today than he was two years ago.
Kiffin, in his second year at Ole Miss, found out on Sunday he and the team were heading to play in the Sugar Bowl, his first New Year’s Six bowl as a head coach.
A top-tier bowl was expected after the Rebels defeated Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving night, so Sunday’s news was not that much of a surprise.
For Kiffin, the bigger importance was receiving this news on one of the final recruiting weekends before the early National Signing Day on Dec. 15.
In 2019, Kiffin was hired with just days to go before the early signing period,
He was rushed to keep what recruits former head coach Matt Luke and his staff already committed.
Fast-forward to 2021, and while there is the usual stress and chaos that comes with recruiting in the world of college football, Kiffin has a more stable approach to lay out to those players visiting.
“I just left a meeting right here with a recruit and I just say, ‘Hey, this is a lot easier than one year ago, especially two years ago,’” Kiffin said. “Sitting here on a Sunday after an official visit and basically we had to paint a picture and say, ‘Okay, here’s the house you’re going to buy. It’s not built yet, but here’s a drawing of it.’”
Success was always the expectation and the goal when Kiffin agreed to take over at Ole Miss. That sentiment came out of Kiffin’s own mouth during his introduction to Rebel fans: the desire to be great, not good.
The promise of a bright future was a tough sell to top recruits Kiffin was pursuing in year one.
Ole Miss was fresh off a 4-8 season and a fourth-straight season without a trip to a bowl game.
The foundation was being laid last season. Ole Miss was 5-5 against only SEC opponents, capped with a win over then-Top 10 Indiana in the Outback bowl.
The Rebels are coming off a historic regular season a year later. Not to mention the program’s momentum heading into the bowl season and National Signing Day.
“That’s basically saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to win here. We’re going to have this great offense. We’re going to be explosive. We’re going to get turnovers on defense. It’s going to be really fun to play here. You’re going to watch us on TV and see this style of play.’” Kiffin said.
“Well, we had to paint that picture because there wasn’t proof here of that. They come now and it’s like, ‘Okay, I can see the house.’ You want to buy it (and can) at least walk though it. So, it does make it a lot easier.”
