Kiffin's Crossroads: Can Ole Miss Keep Momentum in Midst of Departures?

At the juncture of Highways 61 and 49 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, lies a crossroads.

This crossing is no mere highway interchange in the minds of many who study the Mississippi Delta. To them, it's where Robert Johnson, a famous blues musician from Hazlehurst, Mississippi, sold his soul to the devil in order to further his music career.

While studies have shown that this Johnson legend is likely fictitious, it provides a good backdrop to our story today.

Today in Oxford, Mississippi, a little over 60 miles from the famed crossroads that are now immortalized in blues lore, lies a metaphorical crossroads, one centered not on musical success, but football, and Lane Kiffin is standing in the center of it.

Kiffin likely won't sell his soul to the devil at this crossroads, but he has some choices to make that will define the next step of his football program. Kiffin led Ole Miss to new heights in the 2021 season, garnering the program's first 10-win regular season in history, and he might have secured win No. 11 in the Sugar Bowl had his quarterback not gone down in the first quarter.

Now, a lot is changing.

Kiffin's offensive coordinator, Jeff Lebby, has departed for the same position at Oklahoma. Defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin is finalizing a deal with Texas A&M for the same position in College Station. His quarterback, the previously-mentioned Matt Corral who was injured in the Sugar Bowl, is staring at a first-round selection in the upcoming NFL Draft in the spring.

Jerrion Ealy is gone, as is Dontario Drummond. The list seems to grow wider by the day. Is it cause for concern?

On one hand, this is possibly a good thing. Lane Kiffin has said as much. If other programs want your assistants, it means you're doing something right. The same can be applied to players who are moving on to the next level.

Still, with that inevitable transition for successful programs, there is always the risk that the momentum that has been established could slow or even halt. With this much staff and roster turnover, that is certainly a possibility when a program is faced with it.

Nick Saban and Alabama have been masterful at this transition stage since he arrived in Tuscaloosa. Seemingly every year, Alabama's assistant coaches are more-or-less poached by other programs, often for head coaching vacancies. The brand and success associated with Alabama helps make that possible.

There are, of course, differences between the current standing of Ole Miss and Alabama, however.

Alabama is consistently appearing in the College Football Playoff, and it will be playing for yet another national title on Jan. 10 against Georgia. It consistently ranks in the top five recruiting classes in the country, and its head coach is arguably the best college football has ever seen.

For lack of a better phrase, Ole Miss isn't at that level yet.

That doesn't mean that the Rebels can't replace this production on its staff and roster successfully, though. Kiffin worked under Saban at Alabama, and he has seen the inner workings of that successful program. He's an elite offensive mind in college football, and has shown success as a collegiate head coach, especially since he arrived in Oxford.

Probably the biggest fear for many at Ole Miss doesn't revolve around the coaching changes, but the change at quarterback. The fan base is somewhat divided on who it wants taking snaps next season, whether it be Luke Altmyer or someone out of the transfer portal. That's another set of waters that Kiffin must tread as he juggles all of the staff changes in Oxford.

Good programs reach this point inevitably, but how they handle it determines how long they can stay nationally relevant.

Can Kiffin make the right choices at this crossroads? Or is Ole Miss possibly taking a step back next season?

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