Everything Lane Kiffin said to open Week 3 of Ole Miss spring football

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin on Tuesday met local media following the first practice of the third full week of spring football. 

The Rebels will practice again Thursday and Saturday. Meet the Rebels returns after a six-year layoff on April 12. Ole Miss is replacing 16 of 22 starters on both sides of the ball. The Rebels last season won 10 games for the third time in four years. 

Here’s everything Kiffin had to say.

OPENING STATEMENT 

KIFFIN: I think the guys are working really hard. I’ve said before, to have all of our coaches back so there’s no transition with any different schematic stuff is really good, because we have a lot of new players.

I think the passing game on offense has done some really good things. We’ve got a lot of really good players in the passing game — obviously receivers, tight ends and running backs. That’s been really good to see. We’ve had some injuries up front with the offensive line and shuffled a lot of things. A lot of different people getting snaps at different positions. That’s kind of a work in progress. 

Defensively we’ve had some guys do a really good job up front. It’s been good to see a lot of new linebackers get different looks. A lot of work to do in the secondary.

ON IF HE’S SEEN WHAT HE WANTS OUT OF THE NEW-LOOK REBELS

KIFFIN: There’s so many new pieces. Even though there were new pieces last year, they had played a lot. You’d seen them start in the SEC, a lot of returning guys. Right now I feel there’s a lot of guys in new schemes here, especially back seven defensively, that need to get used to that.

So we do a lot of reps and a lot of different situations to continue to expose guys to that so we can evaluate them.

ON THE YOUNGER WIDE RECEIVERS

KIFFIN: Winston (Watkins) has done a good job. Samari (Reed) has been hurt, so he’s just started kind of doing some things here lately. But Winston has done a good job. Those guys that make the (mid-year) transition, it’s almost hard to remember they’re really still seniors in high school. Nowadays so many people come early, so it’s good to have them here and good to work with them.

ON OTHER FRESHMEN THIS SPRING

KIFFIN: We’ve tried to get those young guys a lot of reps. They’re really seniors in high school. That’s a lot of them. They’re just sometimes trying to figure out how to learn a call, let alone all the stuff that comes with that, especially with going against tempo offense all the time. It’s a work in progress with those guys. 

ON LSU TRANSFER DB SAGE RYAN

KIFFIN: Sage played a lot of different spots. Very savvy player. Very experienced back in where we lack that (in the secondary). He’s been a really good fit.

ON PRINCEWILL UMANMIELEN COMPARED TO BROTHER PRINCELY

KIFFIN: I don’t think they’re really that similar, except their names are a few letters off. That’s the natural comparison to make, but they’re different players. He’s done a really good job. Plays the run well, continuing to evolve as a rusher. Really glad we’ve got him.

PRACTICE REPORT: Ole Miss resumes Spring practice after Saturday scrimmage; Austin Simmons shines

ON QB AUSTIN SIMMON’S RUNNING ABILITY

KIFFIN: Play broke down the other day, a long run in the scrimmage. He runs well. Kind of a smooth runner. He’s not going to run violent like Jaxson (Dart), who runs more like a running back in that way and with a strong lower base. Just a different runner, but he does a good job. Not be like a lot of called running, (but) more smooth scrambles.

MORE ON PERSONALITY DIFFERENCES IN PRINCEWILL AND PRINCELY

KIFFIN: They’re different. Maybe they’ll end up being similar. Princely by the end was different than right at first. These guys come in here and are just trying to feel their way out, so they’re a little bit quiet sometimes. 

Princely was here the other day on the microphone talking to the guys during team, yelling at them and stuff. I think sometimes in that transition when they get here to when they leave they change. (Princewill’s) done a really good job. Glad he’s here.

ON HAVING HIS ENTIRE COACHING STAFF BACK FROM LAST SEASON

KIFFIN: (At Ole Miss) it’s rare. I don’t think we ever have. There was a run there, I think last year, where we never even had all three coordinators back, let alone the 10 coaches. That’s great. I think that also says a lot about the program, where we’re at. A number of these guys had good opportunities to leave and chose to stay and love living here in Oxford. Love where the program is going and the success with 21 wins the last two years. That’s a good statement about where we’re at as a program.

Ole Miss QB AJ Maddox has some juice pic.twitter.com/nvOy1zAeyJ

— Ben Garrett (@SpiritBen) April 1, 2025

ON THE VALUE OF STAFF CONTINUITY FOR AN OVERHAULED ROSTER

KIFFIN: It’s really important. It’s always been important, staff carryover, but especially nowadays, because you’ve got so many new players coming in. You’ve got to teach coaches, too. That’s a lot. 

The good thing is they have one window to go, so it’s not like there’s another one. At least we know our staff, unlike our roster. Everybody’s rosters are getting ready to turn over around the country in the middle of the off-season.

ON A POSITION GROUP THAT’S JUMPED OUT

KIFFIN: The receivers, for so many new guys. I mean, almost all of them are new but Cayden (Lee). They’ve done a really good job. They’re low-ego, low-maintenance guys, which is similar to what we’ve had here. We’ve had a really good run of having really good receivers, a lot of them, that are really good kids and low-maintenance. These guys have come in and wanted to work and get better. That group’s done a really good job. 

ON OLE MISS BACKUP QB AJ MADDOX

KIFFIN: Anytime you go from first year down on service team there’s a transition because you’re not going off cards anymore and not just running around and making plays, which he does a great job. Now you’ve got to play within the structure of a system. He’s done a really good job with that and has a lot of room to grow with that, too.

ON SUNTARINE PERKINS

KIFFIN: He’s been hurt. You hear us talk all the time about there’s a benefit to cost. Obviously we don’t like him being hurt, but that’s a lot of other people (to evaluate). ‘OK, what’s it like to play without him? And where would we move people and stuff?’ When he gets healthy we’ll get more into his (individual) plan.