Ole Miss Rebels College Football Pregame Quote, 12/05/2021

At this time, we’re going to go ahead to Ole Miss Head Coach Lane Kiffin. We would like to ask if you can start off with a brief opening statement, and then we’ll go to questions.

Yeah, Dave’s [Aranda] was easier, he’s not on video.

So we’re excited. This is an awesome opportunity. To play in a major bowl game, play in the Sugar Bowl. It’s, to me, what I feel like is every kid when they come up living in the SEC areas to play in the Sugar Bowl.

And to think that we got here two years ago I just heard the end of Dave’s, but maybe similar thing, to think that we would be in the Sugar Bowl this quickly, respect of how awesome it is. And we’re very blessed to be in this position.

Thank God for this opportunity to come here and the players and how it’s all come together. I’ve kind of told them before, they’re like this amazing blended family. We’ve got kids that have been here for six years that have talked about the pains that they went through. We have got kids that literally got here this fall, including a starter or two from the transfer portal. And they really are a unique family.

So awesome opportunity to play a great program in Baylor, one that’s extremely well coached. Having played against Coach [Dave] Aranda’s defenses before I think three different places now we’ve played against him. This will be four. So really great coach. Done an unbelievable job.

Saw the end of their game. We had recruits here, but saw the end of the game and saw his postgame on the field. And just how he speaks, you can tell his passion for his players and how it’s about them and not himself. So this will be an awesome matchup.

Hey, Lane [Kiffin], I know Alabama’s win last night kind of took the drama out of today for y’all. How did you guys take in the news today? Was there a team celebration or a watch party or anything, or were out on the trail yourself?

No, we’ve just been recruiting. And I think a lot of our players with a weekend finally to go home, have been different places and stuff, so we didn’t do anything together.

I think that there was a lot of if you took guesses of where you were going, it was going to be the Sugar Bowl. So I think that, I don’t think there was a whole lot of surprise there.

We’re excited about it. Couldn’t pick a better bowl to be in, one that I would certainly think that our fans will travel to. And we’ll go. And much like, I said at the end of the season, come support the team. It’s your last chance to see them together and to see Matt [Corral]. And now you got one more chance to do it in one of the biggest bowls in the world.

You’ve coached in this bowl before, coached in a lot of bowls like this before. What do you say to the players about handling pressure for a lot of them who haven’t played in a New Year’s Six type game before?

Haven’t thought that far. Getting ready for talk for the game. Again, we’ve been recruiting. I haven’t processed any of that. I haven’t even thought about having been there before and the players not having been there. So I’ll figure that out.

Hey, Lane [Kiffin]. I just wanted to you’ve been at so many other not so many other but you’ve been at other programs in the past. So now obviously here at Ole Miss going to a game like this, like Nick just said, you’ve had experience going to games like this before. But this exact group, how does it compare to other groups that you’ve had in the past? And what makes them that unique family that you talked about?

Well, like I said before, we’re still processing. Just came in, there’s a lot of stuff going on. We’ve got recruits here and SEC championship game and the contract stuff, which is a lot of personal stuff involved with that. That is outside of myself and about our program when you get the details of it. And assistant coaches and administration, support staff, and the funding for them so that we can do this thing at a really high level is in there as well. So it wasn’t just some personal contract that head coach gets paid. There was a lot of work into that.

So as far as like I’ve said, the players are a unique group. They’ve really come together from different age groups and how long they’ve been here and quarterback from California, all these different elements coming together and our staff too. And having some staff turnover just a year ago, it’s just been a really neat story. And really neat to watch and just really excited to be a part of it.

As far as other groups, again, I hadn’t thought about any of this until you just said it. This would be the first major game, you know, BCS Bowl, Sugar, Rose, Orange, been to these before, never as the head coach. That’s pretty neat too. Just haven’t thought of it that way. We’re going to have a lot of time to figure this out with almost a month before the game.

What did it mean to get the contract extension done? And was there any doubt that you were going to stick around to stay as the Ole Miss head coach? And what does it mean to still be there and get it done and be there for years to come?

I think sometimes people don’t understand. These things sometimes have been in the works for a while. And this had been a longtime, just happened to be finalized and announced yesterday. So like I said, this was not just about me, this was a lot of getting things in place. Which, you know, Keith [Carter] and the chancellor (Glenn Boyce) were all about. We just had to get it all talked about, and it takes time. And a big part of that is making sure all the things in place in the future for the players from a facilities standpoint, and for the coaches to make sure we’re able to keep these guys around and compete at the highest level. Which we’re trying to do, not just for one year. Like we did this year, have 10 wins and all these accomplishments, but to do this for a long period of time takes all those things in place. You don’t continue to win at that level just because you hit one year and have a hot quarterback and different things. If you’re going to do it for a long period of time, especially in SEC, you have to have everything else in place.

Hey, Lane [Kiffin], you mentioned coaching staff. I was curious how confident are you that you’re going to be able to retain the staff that you’ve had? How much are you having to prepare for potential departures for people getting other jobs?

Well, I’ve said it before. This is when you win, and especially to me when you win with style that people watch, you know, they say, okay, I want to go by that system, that style. And I’m not saying we’re Alabama, but a lot of times you see so many coaches leaving Alabama is people want to go get what they’re doing. And so we lost coaches a year ago. When we first got at Alabama and last year to Texas, Oklahoma. So I don’t take it personal. It’s part of the business when you’re doing really well. Because the players are playing really well, your assistant coaches, people want to come and get them. So like I said about the head coach, it’s the same thing. If you’re losing a lot of people aren’t trying to come take your coaches. It’s a good problem to have. One we have to deal with. We’ll always find the best ones out there. And there’s a good chance we may lose one this year. So there’s all kinds of factors that go into why coaches leave. So I understand that.

Lane, you mentioned about going up against Coach [Dave] Aranda before. It’s been a few years, but how much does that benefit you as you begin to prepare for Baylor? Will you be able to look at some things you did before against him? And will it benefit you this time?

I don’t think so. And I’ve not watched them yet, but I know our system is so much different than it was years ago. I believe even back to, I think it was at Utah State a long time ago. We played at USC or Wisconsin and Alabama, OSU Alabama.

I remember a state in my head, one time we played them and it was five years in a row and they were the only defense to be in the top ten in the country in rush defense, if I remember right. And there was only one common thing in America and it was him, where he had been, the different schools. So just unbelievable job, and really gives you a lot of problems.

What does this mean to your program? Obviously, this is big time for your program, especially for recruiting? But also, how do you use this in recruiting pitches, early signing days coming up? What do you say to the recruits in the living rooms to get them to come to Ole Miss?

You’re referring to the game or in general?

The game and in general how big the game is for your program going forward.

Well, it’s huge. We knew that after winning the Egg Bowl that we were going to be in a major New Year’s Six game. It was just a matter of which one. We were already recruiting that day and already doing that.

And just left a meeting right here with a recruit and I just say, Hey, this say slot easier than one year ago, especially two years ago sitting here, you know, 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. And that’s basically saying, We’re going to win here. We’re going to have a 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.

We had to paint that picture because there wasn’t proof here of that. And now it’s like, okay, they come now and they can see the house. If you want to buy it, at least you can walk through it because we’re already doing it. So it does make it a lot easier.

I remember you saying that people need to see Matt Corral while they still can. And it’s my understanding he’s going to be good to go for this game. What are your feelings on if he does play, coaching him in one last good game, in a bowl game, and just all that he’s meant to the team this season and what your hopes are for him in this game.

Yeah, he’s a special kid and a special relationship. I just watched him go over to the band and the fans after the Egg Bowl and almost got emotional. And had to remind myself, got one more with him. So that wasn’t the last one.

But I don’t know exactly why the bond is what it is. People have said it’s the California thing or USC didn’t want either of us. They got rid of him and me both.

I just love seeing how far he’s come. I love stories. Just had a recruit also ask, what do you like most about coaching? It’s when you see a transformation in a college kid, whether that’s him or Sam Williams. Just really neat to see that and be a part of it. He’s just such a great leader and such a great kid. Just really proud of him. And glad to be his coach.