'Glaring Difference!' Lane Kiffin Attributes Ole Miss' Roster Improvement to Georgia Loss
Last year's loss to the Georgia Bulldogs continues to both haunt and help the Ole Miss Rebels.
Ole Miss was demolished last season in Athens to the tune of a 52-17 final score, and even though the Rebels finished with their first-ever 11-win season in 2023, that loss showed massive flaws in the roster makeup of Lane Kiffin's team.
The 2023 roster was a good one...but it was not an elite one, and that was the focus this offseason. Kiffin was made available to the media following another installment of spring practice on Tuesday, and when asked about his early impressions on the new transfer and prep pieces on his team, he didn't go into great detail.
Instead, he simply said that there are a lot of new pieces and that his staff went into the offseason with an attack plan.
Nov 11, 2023; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Tramel Walthour (90) and linebacker Chaz Chambliss (32) tackle Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) during the first half at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
© Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
"I don't care who plays, where they're from, what year," Kiffin said. "We're going to play the best players. We feel really good when we win and feel really bad when we lose. We're never going to play somebody because they were recruited here, or [have] this many years, or [are] from whatever state.
"I say that because I think [the players] know that, and I think that's part of why they come here. Also, I reminded them how much we despise losing and that feeling of Georgia, we tried to teach our players that things happen for a reason. There's always good in the bad, and the good that came out of that game, that feeling that ... we've got to recruit better."
Kiffin noticed some of the bigger talent deficiencies in last year's loss in the trenches, so the focus this offseason has been (and may continue to be) bolstering those positions up front.
"If you go out there and look, I think you see a glaring difference in our offensive line and the size of our front seven on defense," Kiffin said. "I attribute that to us recruiting really well in the portal and that feeling after that Georgia game and feeling during the game."
Georgia will once again be a College Football Playoff contender in 2024, but if the early returns are any indication, so will Ole Miss. With the playoff field now expanding to 12 teams, the Rebels' shot of making the cut has only increased, and they could have an even better roster than last year's.
The Rebels and Bulldogs will square off again this season, this time in Oxford on Nov. 9.
