'Came Here to Be Great!' Lane Kiffin Reveals Next Steps For Ole Miss Following Peach Bowl Win
The Ole Miss Rebels are fresh off one of the best football seasons in school history, and with the College Football Playoff National Championship set to take place on Monday night, head coach Lane Kiffin is hoping his program can reach that same height soon.
The Rebels took down the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Dec. 30, capping off their first 11-win season in program history. After the New Year's Six bowl win, Kiffin discussed his vision for the future of Ole Miss football and why he came to Oxford in the first place.
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“I think it’s really a cool time right now at Ole Miss,” Kiffin said. “To win the most games in the history of the school and to have so many pieces already announcing that they’re coming back — which I made sure a couple of them are still doing that after their performances today.
“I said that when I got hired, we didn’t come here to be good and win some decent bowl games and some matches. We came here to be great, win New Year’s Six bowls like this, be a top ten program. So to not just have so many players coming back, but I think it’s been well publicized so many players around the country already joining in for next year. It was obviously extremely important to cap this [season] off right because I felt like the last couple weeks, so much focus was on next year.”
Most of the Rebels' offensive production from a season ago has announced an intention to return to Oxford for another season, including quarterback Jaxson Dart. Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding has also added tons of notable names via the transfer portal this cycle, including defensive lineman Walter Nolen of the Texas A&M Aggies.
With a new-look SEC on the horizon for 2024, it looks like Kiffin & Co. are setting their aim on being a national title contender in 2024, and they just might have enough pieces to be able to pull it off.
