Lane Kiffin Introduces Himself to Penn State Fans
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin certainly is an X (formerly Twitter) factor online, and on Tuesday he introduced himself to Penn State football fans ahead of the Peach Bowl. Not long after Penn State defensive end Chop Robinson declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, Kiffin offered a heartfelt congratulatory message.
"Best of luck!!" Kiffin said in a quote re-post of Robinson's announcement. "Congrats on a great career!!"
Kiffin's warm note belied a good-natured sense of relief at not having to face Robinson in the Dec. 30 Peach Bowl in Atlanta. Robinson, a potential first-round draft pick, announced that he will forgo the Peach Bowl in the process of beginning draft preparations. Which means that Kiffin won't have to prepare quarterback Jaxson Dart for Robinson, a first-team All-Big Ten edge rusher. Robinson made 7.5 sacks and forced two fumbles this season. His strip sack against Iowa punctuated a 31-0 shutout of the Hawkeyes.
Robinson's decision likely marked the first real news about Penn State's roster that Kiffin learned — until defensive coordinator Manny Diaz left for the head-coaching position at Duke. Kiffin didn't miss that moment either.
Like Penn State's James Franklin, the Ole Miss coach has been recruiting since the bowl announcement, leaving game prep to his staff. In fact, during a teleconference announcing the matchup, Kiffin asked Franklin about potential opt-outs. He also didn't know much about Penn State's recent changes at offensive coordinator.
"I'm glad James went first [in the Q&A] there, because I didn't know much about the situation," Kiffin said. "I was hoping James would answer so I would have my answer to that. It seems like we need to prepare a lot for the next two weeks."
Regarding Penn State's roster, Kiffin sounded as though he had plenty more homework to do soon.
"I think you guys think that we watch more football on Saturdays than we do," Kiffin told reporters on the conference call. "When we don'tplay teams with common opponents and we don't watch their film for breakdown purposes, I don't really get to watch much football. So I don't get to see great teams like Penn State in other conferences play. I got an early report from my personnel people that phenomenal players, great starters on defense. I was hoping coach Franklin was going to announce they're opting out. That would help us with that too. So that's all I know."
Wait until Kiffin learns that he could have scored some free pork chops from Robinson.
No. 10 Penn State faces No. 11 Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 30 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET on ESPN.
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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.
