.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Lane Kiffin Press Conference
12/13/2022 | Football
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss football head coach Lane Kiffin met with the media Tuesday to preview the Rebels' meeting with Texas Tech in the TaxAct Texas Bowl. A transcript can be found below.
On Mike Leach…
"I spoke on this earlier on SportsCenter but tragic loss, someone that was very close, awesome person. I was thinking, there's not too many people that, when you meet him, no matter who you are, when you met Mike Leach, you remember meeting him because he left an impact on people. It's crazy to think just a couple weeks ago hugging him and watching him walk off as a winner, would've never thought it was his last game. I see people talk about one state or same team right now. When we got here together, people were on us about not hating each other. It's just a reminder you can be very competitive, have passion, have rivalries in life and sports but be respectful and love people. It's really a shame."
On him and Leach coming to Mississippi together…
"Not what you would think. We didn't like call and say 'How are we going to do this thing?' If you know our personalities, you could've guessed how it would be that we wouldn't fall into this, oh now we're going to change and dislike each other. I was at my first SEC head coaches' meeting, and another head coach said, 'Well I can't ride an elevator with you because if our fans ever see me get off with you, they'd be mad.' I was just like, ok I don't understand that. My point is. That's kind of how it's supposed to be down here, and we never had a conversation because that's just not our personalities and how we'd be. You don't always look forward to every coach meeting before games, but I always did him, and he was always just amazing. I always had to say, 'Ok, I have to go now, coach.' Because he was going to keep talking forever. It was always unique. Every conversation, I'd always say to myself or I'd come back to a coach who played for him or something, somehow we started over here and I have no idea how we got over here in the conversation. That was just him."
On the environment of the transfer portal…
"Crazy. There's just so much going on. With practice, going to get on a plane now and you recruit, which kind of always was the case. But then guys coming in here and flying back because there are official visitors here at the same time as practice, at the same time as you're going to see kids, at the same time of guys every day going into the portal. It's not like the old days where you knew who the recruits were. They're changing every day. It's not really ideal. It is what it is. We're trying to manage it the best we can. I think at some point, they've got to let the portal guys sign or something. Now these guys go in and you're really recruiting them until school starts, which is January sometime. That's a long time for a lot of people chasing a lot of people around."
On if transfer portal conversations are more around NIL than last year…
"NIL comes up with every portal guy now, where before, it was just some. I kind of said, we hit a window last year where everybody wasn't going that direction, and if teams had success with portal players playing well, like you saw around the country teams do, more coaches would make decisions to do that. We had some early on say, 'Well, we're not going the portal direction.' I don't think anybody is saying that any more. It's gotten a lot more competitive. I don't think there has been any conversation with a portal player, or a recruit nowadays, where they or someone around them does not bring up NIL in the first conversation."
On offensive line coach John Garrison…
"Great coach, great person. I actually tried to hire him before but couldn't get him out at the time when we first got here. I've coached with him before, and it's a really cool transition to go on the road with him yesterday. It's very unique to have a head coach, an offensive coordinator and an offensive line coach who have all worked together before in the same roles. We were all at FAU at the same time, so it makes it a very easy transition for players and for recruits."
On if it is difficult to keep the team focused during bowl season…
"Sure. It's very challenging. We have some players going in the portal. Some are gone and won't play, refuse to play. So they are obviously not with us anymore. Then there are some that are in but are still playing, like what we had a year ago. It's very challenging. You've got kids missing practice for official visits other places. Very challenging. Unfortunately, what's happening is what I predicted would happen. People like attention, kids love attention, especially. If I don't go in the portal, it's kind of like, well what about me. Either I played good or I didn't play good and I'm not getting any attention. You have the first group going in, then you have more saying, well, maybe I should go in, maybe I can go get more NIL, I can get some attention. So that's why you're seeing an increased number that are kind of surprise portal guys. It's really kind of rare for the kids who say, 'I'm good. I don't need more attention.'"
On if he is targeting any specific areas in the portal…
"We look at everything because, again, it's so moving and flowing about what we're losing in the portal. Also, we have a number of guys who haven't decided whether they're going out early for the draft. We look at everything."
On few players opting out ahead of the bowl…
"We may have had one or two conversations but no one is doing that, which is awesome. Committed to their team, to playing. But yes, there were some individuals who had discussed that."
On if players not opting out last year had an affect on this year's team…
"Yeah. Plus, there's a good and bad to everything. When you don't have a lot of guys who are looking at going in the first round, you don't have as much opt-out discussion. That'd be a good problem to have. We don't have as many as maybe other places."
On roster retention in the portal era…
"It's extremely challenging. I don't know that there is a perfect answer to how to do it. Anybody can just leave. Unless they've already transferred once. So again, like I've said, you have all areas. You have, I played really well. Ok, I'm happy with the coaches, I'm happy with what's going on. But I either want more attention or I want more money, so I'm going to go in. Or the old way which is, I'm not playing very much, I'm not happy with the coaches, I want to play more, they're obviously going in. So now you have all kinds of people going in. It is what it is."
On if the talent pool is better this year in the portal…
"You have more and better players going into the portal because they want to make more money. I'm the only coach who says it, but again, portal was initially people going in who were not pleased with playing enough, or the system or a coaching change. Now you have a lot of kids going in who are very happy were they're at. It's simply, you talk to them, 'Why'd you go in?' 'To see if I can make more money.' And you can't fault them. How many NFL players would opt into free agency if they had the choice every year?"
On Mike Leach…
"I spoke on this earlier on SportsCenter but tragic loss, someone that was very close, awesome person. I was thinking, there's not too many people that, when you meet him, no matter who you are, when you met Mike Leach, you remember meeting him because he left an impact on people. It's crazy to think just a couple weeks ago hugging him and watching him walk off as a winner, would've never thought it was his last game. I see people talk about one state or same team right now. When we got here together, people were on us about not hating each other. It's just a reminder you can be very competitive, have passion, have rivalries in life and sports but be respectful and love people. It's really a shame."
On him and Leach coming to Mississippi together…
"Not what you would think. We didn't like call and say 'How are we going to do this thing?' If you know our personalities, you could've guessed how it would be that we wouldn't fall into this, oh now we're going to change and dislike each other. I was at my first SEC head coaches' meeting, and another head coach said, 'Well I can't ride an elevator with you because if our fans ever see me get off with you, they'd be mad.' I was just like, ok I don't understand that. My point is. That's kind of how it's supposed to be down here, and we never had a conversation because that's just not our personalities and how we'd be. You don't always look forward to every coach meeting before games, but I always did him, and he was always just amazing. I always had to say, 'Ok, I have to go now, coach.' Because he was going to keep talking forever. It was always unique. Every conversation, I'd always say to myself or I'd come back to a coach who played for him or something, somehow we started over here and I have no idea how we got over here in the conversation. That was just him."
On the environment of the transfer portal…
"Crazy. There's just so much going on. With practice, going to get on a plane now and you recruit, which kind of always was the case. But then guys coming in here and flying back because there are official visitors here at the same time as practice, at the same time as you're going to see kids, at the same time of guys every day going into the portal. It's not like the old days where you knew who the recruits were. They're changing every day. It's not really ideal. It is what it is. We're trying to manage it the best we can. I think at some point, they've got to let the portal guys sign or something. Now these guys go in and you're really recruiting them until school starts, which is January sometime. That's a long time for a lot of people chasing a lot of people around."
On if transfer portal conversations are more around NIL than last year…
"NIL comes up with every portal guy now, where before, it was just some. I kind of said, we hit a window last year where everybody wasn't going that direction, and if teams had success with portal players playing well, like you saw around the country teams do, more coaches would make decisions to do that. We had some early on say, 'Well, we're not going the portal direction.' I don't think anybody is saying that any more. It's gotten a lot more competitive. I don't think there has been any conversation with a portal player, or a recruit nowadays, where they or someone around them does not bring up NIL in the first conversation."
On offensive line coach John Garrison…
"Great coach, great person. I actually tried to hire him before but couldn't get him out at the time when we first got here. I've coached with him before, and it's a really cool transition to go on the road with him yesterday. It's very unique to have a head coach, an offensive coordinator and an offensive line coach who have all worked together before in the same roles. We were all at FAU at the same time, so it makes it a very easy transition for players and for recruits."
On if it is difficult to keep the team focused during bowl season…
"Sure. It's very challenging. We have some players going in the portal. Some are gone and won't play, refuse to play. So they are obviously not with us anymore. Then there are some that are in but are still playing, like what we had a year ago. It's very challenging. You've got kids missing practice for official visits other places. Very challenging. Unfortunately, what's happening is what I predicted would happen. People like attention, kids love attention, especially. If I don't go in the portal, it's kind of like, well what about me. Either I played good or I didn't play good and I'm not getting any attention. You have the first group going in, then you have more saying, well, maybe I should go in, maybe I can go get more NIL, I can get some attention. So that's why you're seeing an increased number that are kind of surprise portal guys. It's really kind of rare for the kids who say, 'I'm good. I don't need more attention.'"
On if he is targeting any specific areas in the portal…
"We look at everything because, again, it's so moving and flowing about what we're losing in the portal. Also, we have a number of guys who haven't decided whether they're going out early for the draft. We look at everything."
On few players opting out ahead of the bowl…
"We may have had one or two conversations but no one is doing that, which is awesome. Committed to their team, to playing. But yes, there were some individuals who had discussed that."
On if players not opting out last year had an affect on this year's team…
"Yeah. Plus, there's a good and bad to everything. When you don't have a lot of guys who are looking at going in the first round, you don't have as much opt-out discussion. That'd be a good problem to have. We don't have as many as maybe other places."
On roster retention in the portal era…
"It's extremely challenging. I don't know that there is a perfect answer to how to do it. Anybody can just leave. Unless they've already transferred once. So again, like I've said, you have all areas. You have, I played really well. Ok, I'm happy with the coaches, I'm happy with what's going on. But I either want more attention or I want more money, so I'm going to go in. Or the old way which is, I'm not playing very much, I'm not happy with the coaches, I want to play more, they're obviously going in. So now you have all kinds of people going in. It is what it is."
On if the talent pool is better this year in the portal…
"You have more and better players going into the portal because they want to make more money. I'm the only coach who says it, but again, portal was initially people going in who were not pleased with playing enough, or the system or a coaching change. Now you have a lot of kids going in who are very happy were they're at. It's simply, you talk to them, 'Why'd you go in?' 'To see if I can make more money.' And you can't fault them. How many NFL players would opt into free agency if they had the choice every year?"
Arkansas Uniform Reveal (2025)
Thursday, September 11
The Season: Kentucky (2025)
Wednesday, September 10
PRESSER | Jaden Yates - Week 3 at Arkansas (09-09-25)
Tuesday, September 09
PRESSER | Kewan Lacy - Week 3 at Arkansas (09-09-25)
Tuesday, September 09