Lane Kiffin explains challenges of rebuilding during offseason of widespread change

Lane Kiffin led Ole Miss to one of the best seasons in program history in 2021. Reaching the same heights in 2022 is going to be difficult, though, with some predicting a step back while Ole Miss rebuilds. Kiffin addressed the challenges of rebuilding a program.

In particular, Ole Miss is dealing with major roster turnover. Their great quarterback, Matt Corral, has moved on to the NFL. He’s far from alone and in the transfer portal era, how you build a roster has completely changed.

“We had to restart, really, you know, losing so many players and coaches too,” Lane Kiffin said. “We lost half our staff. Lost our strength coach, who was very critical to our success.”

“So, you know, that presents a lot of challenges that aren’t just, ok, hey we’ve already got this thing, you know, and just keep doing what we’re doing. So, we’ve kind of had to restart that way.”

You have to completely reset the roster and team if you’re Lane Kiffin. Replacing a coach means that the coaching staff needs to get on the same page with someone new. Replacing players at key positions, like quarterback, means that your players need to redevelop chemistry with one another.

At the same time, given some of the changes to college athletics, coaches need to learn to rebuild and reset in new ways. The transfer portal makes it easier to fill gaps in your roster, but it can also create gaps when players leave. NIL provides players a great opportunity, but it also changes the relationship between coaches and players.

Lane Kiffin is never one to keep his thoughts and opinions to himself. He’s going to continue to be open about what he thinks, and he is undeniably knowledgeable about college football and offenses. Whether all of that knowledge translates into wins and a successful rebuild in 2022 remains to be seen.