How Does Spencer Sanders Commitment Affect Ole Miss Team Culture?
Lane Kiffin earned the title "Portal King" for a reason.
The Ole Miss Rebels secured Oklahoma State transfer quarterback Spencer Sanders on Thursday, and while the future of current signal caller Jaxson Dart is up in the air, the question now revolves around team chemistry.
Let's say that Jaxson Dart was to transfer again after Kiffin landed Sanders. How would the team as a whole react to the change?
Ole Miss obviously went through a quarterback competition well into the 2022 season with players uncertain of who their offensive leader would be when conference play hit. Dart eventually won the job over Luke Altmyer, but it took a while. Once he secured the spot, he seemed to improve as the season wore on.
How would another change affect team chemistry? Would players inside the locker room view the most important position on the field as a revolving door? It's worth pondering.
Perhaps we're reading too much into it. Talent makes up for a lot of issues on the field, but locker room chemistry is important. Even talented teams who don't get along behind closed doors fall apart at the seams.
The transfer portal is still largely an unknown. How well do players with different goals and aspirations from other program cultures mesh into a new one? Kiffin himself pointed out struggles in that regard entering the 2022 campaign after a portal-heavy offseason.
At quarterback, those struggles have historically be even more prominent.
At times, the formula for winning is simple: get good players. Spencer Sanders certainly fits that billing, but if he wins the starting quarterback job in 2023, he will now be tasked with a leadership role on a new team for one season.
That situation could present its own perils, even with significant talent in tow.
You can follow John Macon on Twitter at @JMakeGillespie.
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