Lane Kiffin sends Matt Corral a message ahead of Ole Miss vs. Louisville

While Lane Kiffin won’t be able to coach in Ole Miss’ opener against Louisville, he still relayed a message to his star quarterback, Matt Corral.

Prior to tonight’s game, Kiffin tweeted out the love he has for the Ole Miss star.

“Come to the sip. Heart you Matt Corral always,” Kiffin tweeted. “We really are family! I’m on the Matty Ice train. Beat Louisville, Ole Miss football. Remember, you won the game before you played the game. Default to your training!”

The combination of Kiffin and Corral is one of the most interesting coach-quarterback pairing in all of college football, and one of the most fun. Additionally, it’s been one impressively productive as well.

In their first season together, Corral threw for 3,337 yards and 29 touchdowns. The duo will look to build on their chemistry in 2021.

‘Coach Kiff gets me, and I get him’

Throughout his career, Kiffin’s offensive acumen has never been the question. However, things haven’t always worked out for one reason or another for Kiffin.

Now, he has a quarterback who couldn’t be happier to have him as his coach.

“He’s changed my whole perspective of how I approach the game,” Corral said via ESPN. “Really, he and Coach Lebby both have. They opened up my mind to where I see things I never did before, especially now that I’m in my second year with them.

“Plus, Coach Kiff gets me, and I get him.”

Moreover, Corral’s father has seen his son blossom under Kiffin’s leadership.

“Lane Kiffin coming to Ole Miss was a godsend for Matt,” Corral’s father said. “Matt blossomed in every way when Lane came. They just connected.

“Matt is an easy-going kid, pretty laid-back but always competitive. He’s the youngest of three boys, and his big brothers never took it easy on him. He learned to fight back, despite what anybody else thought about him, and found an ally in Lane.”

While Kiffin and Corral have learned to fight together, they’ll unfortunately be without each other tonight.

Kiffin to miss Ole Miss vs. Louisville

Last week, Kiffin tested positive for COVID-19 and will not be available Monday as the Rebels take on Louisville in Atlanta.

Kiffin confirmed his positive test, stating he is experiencing mild symptoms. He noted that he is vaccinated and that there are no other cases to report from Ole Miss at this time.

“I am disappointed to confirm I have developed a break-through case Covid and will not accompany our team to Atlanta,” Kiffin said in a statement posted to the Ole Miss Football account on Twitter. “I am so grateful to be vaccinated and experiencing only mild symptoms. So much so, I debated over being tested, but I’m relieved that I did. I’m proud of our program’s commitment to vaccination. As a result, there are no other cases to report or team members expected to miss the game. We will continue to monitor our team closely and take responsible measures if any symptoms arise.”

While Lane Kiffin won’t be there in person, he’s gifted Matt Corral with enough knowledge to be able to handle the pressure of Ole Miss‘ hopes.