Lane Kiffin details process of getting Spencer Sanders healthy

Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss football program turned some heads this offseason when they took in Oklahoma State transfer Spencer Sanders despite having a pretty good returning starting quarterback already on the roster.

But for Kiffin competition is king.

“I believe with both of them, and I know everybody may not agree, that competition brings the best,” Kiffin said. “I don’t care how you’re wired, where you’re from, whether you were the Gatorade Player of the Year, any of that. Watch the Last Dance and watch Michael Jordan talk. Competition is critical for peoples’ development.”

The competition during spring football, though, has been fairly limited.

Late in the 2022 campaign, Sanders suffered a shoulder injury that limited him down the stretch. It’s an injury he’s still recovering from this spring.

So while Sanders threw for 2,642 yards and 17 touchdowns last year, while also rushing for 391 yards and eight scores, he’s not ready to fully jump into the Ole Miss quarterback competition just yet.

“I think Spencer’s had a very challenging spring because of the medical aspect, to come in and know, OK, he has one window here,” Kiffin said. “It’s not like he’s got three years left or something. So I think that that’s frustrating for him that he’s been limited and even we’ve held him basically one of the three days every week, for the most part.

“So that’s really frustrating when you come in and you’re trying to learn things and get better and also your teammates to see you. So he’s done a good job, I just know it’s been really frustrating for him.”

Spencer Sanders’ competition for the starting job when he is fully healthy again will be fierce. Though Jaxson Dart wasn’t perfect last year, he was pretty good for a sophomore who hadn’t played a ton.

Dart finished the season 226-of-362 passing for 2,974 yards and 20 touchdowns, against 11 interceptions.

Playing safer with the football has been a key point of emphasis for Kiffin and his coaching staff all spring, and Dart has done a good job with that.

“Switching over to Jaxson, I think Jaxson’s a very good example, he’s thrown one interception all spring,” Kiffin said. “He’s not forcing things trying to win a job like he did a year ago on every drive. So he’s performed much better because of that.”

Both will get a chance to show what they can do in the spring game, with Sanders expected to participate despite the slow nursing back to health he’s endured the last few weeks.

Kiffin’s expectation for the former Oklahoma State signal caller, Spencer Sanders?

“Just to play really well,” Kiffin said. “Don’t force things, make really good decisions and whether you’re a freshman or a fifth year player it’s always a challenge to play really well and not try too hard.”