Ole Miss Brings Back Kevin Smith As New RB Coach
Kevin Smith is officially headed back to The Grove for 2023.
First reported by ESPN Tuesday and confirmed by Ole Miss Wednesday, Smith will return to Ole Miss to reunite with Lane Kiffin for the upcoming season. The Miami (FL) running backs coach will replace Marquel Blackwell, who was hired to the same position by Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M.
A Miami native, Smith left Oxford to join Mario Cristobal's staff last season down in Coral Gables. The Hurricanes were led by former Rebels running back Henry Parrish Jr., who finished with 616 yards and four touchdowns on 131 attempts.
Prior to joining the Rebels, Smith spent three seasons working under Kiffin at Florida Atlantic in the Conference USA. During the 2017-18 seasons, he was influential in the development of current Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary, who rushed for a combined 3,226 yards and 54 touchdowns.
Smith also was a key factor in landing freshman running back Quinshon Judkins before his departure last offseason. The freshman phenom took over the Rebels' backfield, rushing for an SEC-leading 1,567 yards and 16 touchdowns en route to an 8-5 finish.
Ole Miss will need to find a complementary option to pair with Judkins following the departure of Zach Evans to the NFL draft. Evans, who spent two seasons at TCU before joining the Rebels, rushed for 936 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 6.5 yards per attempt.
Smith should be able to pick up where Blackwell left off in Judkins' development while also working with four-star freshman Kedrick Reescano. Last season at New Caney (Texas) High School, Reescano rushed for 1,849 yards on 222 attempts and scored 31 touchdowns.
Ole Miss opens the season at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium against Mercer on Sept. 2.
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