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Without a game coach last week, Ole coach Miss Lane Kiffin called out Alabama to be good, revamped her Instagram account and, as usual, made herself the center of attention.
Typical stuff for Joey Freshwater. Typically entertaining as hell. Long live more weeks of farewell for a certain cowardly man-child of a coach.
But here we are for Alabama week, and it should be noted: Kiffin’s career is at a crossroads. No, not another massacre on the tarmac on Saturday night. It is potentially Well thing.
If Ole Miss beats Alabama – sure, that’s a big if – Kiffin’s career arc changes.
Kiffin would become Nick Saban’s first former assistant to beat the legendary coach. The ledger for all of these coaches is currently 0-23. Kiffin certainly gets an “attack boy” for putting Saban and the Crimson Tide through a ringtone last year before a 63-48 loss to Oxford, Mississippi, so there you go.
Kiffin to become favorites for open USC job, at least for a large portion of the school’s I-110 alumni. (Think of the West Coast version of the “T-shirt alumni” in the South who “shoot” for a school without attending said institution.) These Trojan horse fans are legion, and they are loud. Remember, they used to beat the drums for Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian in the past. They also helped put Clay Helton out of work last month. Don’t ignore their influence. Plus, Hollywood loves sequels. This would be important. Call it “From Asphalt to Triumph”.
Not to say it’s going to happen – USC’s research could turn in seven different directions before it’s complete – but consider the implications. How many coaches at a Power Five school had a second chance at the same school eight years apart before the age of 47? I’m pretty sure this list would start and end with Kiffin.
Kiffin would surgically remove the metaphorical silver spoon from his mouth. For those of you who believe Monte Kiffin’s son was born on third base and thought he hit a triple, listen up. This is the potential inflection point for the Boy King.
This would be the time when he would become legitimate in the eyes of the skeptics who saw him coaching the Oakland Raiders at 31, Tennessee coach (for a year) at 34 and USC coach at 35. A segment of coaches have laughed at Kiff’s back for years, jealous of these opportunities.
Defeat Alabama and Kiffin is no longer Boy King. He will have matured before our eyes despite some sparring this week with Michael Wilbon, who called Kiffin a “clown”.
Kiffin would undoubtedly make Ole Miss the favorite of SEC West. I can’t believe I’m writing these words, but it must be a consideration. The No.12 Rebels are so good, ranked for the first time since 2016. The defense has improved dramatically since finishing second-to-last in the country in 2020. The schedule is somewhat favorable going forward, Ole Miss getting Arkansas No. 8. , No.15 Texas A&M and LSU at home.
Kiffin reportedly helps Matt Corral become first Heisman Trophy favorite. Ole Miss’s quarterback may already be. An Alabama upheaval doesn’t happen without Corral having something that feels like the game of its life. In three games, the Southern California product has made it into the national top 10 for passing yards and passing efficiency. No other Power Five QB has thrown more touchdowns (nine) without interception.
The Heisman hype is major news even if it’s only a quarter of the way this season. There’s a reason Kiffin no longer followed all but one of his Instagram followers. New Orleans prospect Arch Manning is the next Big Manning to emerge from football’s first family. Arch is the son of Cooper, who is brother to Peyton and Eli. These three, of course, are the offspring of Archie Manning.
We’ll do the math for you if you haven’t connected the dots. Arch attends the same Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans as his uncles Eli and Peyton. Archie and Eli played Ole Miss. This is probably the last season of Corral. Arch is the No.5 ranked player – the No.1 quarterback – in the class of 2023, according to the 247Sports Composite.
It is not Kiffin who proposes David Sills IV in eighth grade. Ole Miss has a chance of landing a program changer if only on the basis of her last name. 247Sports lists the Rebels with Alabama, Georgia, Clemson and LSU as the other favorites. A win over Alabama doesn’t hurt Ole Miss’s chances.
We always knew that Kiffin could recruit. It’s a week when Kiffin’s “number” never gets old. Maybe he’s growing up before our eyes. Since 2014, he remade himself as a trainer.
It was Kiffin who oversaw Alabama’s transition to the spreading offensive seven years ago. He dutifully took this success and spent three years working hard at the FAU, winning two conference titles.
The difference nowadays? When Kiffin opens his mouth, it’s more than a show. If he beats Saban, it will be time to take advantage the show.
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