Kiffin: ‘There’d be a lot of good’ in replacing spring football with OTAs
Lane Kiffin has been a regular, outspoken critic of college football’s ‘very bad,’ broken transfer system.
On3 national college football analyst Andy Staples on Tuesday offered a solution.
Staples pitched replacing the 15 practices for teams each spring with an OTA (organized team activities) schedule modeled after the NFL and starting the second week of May.
The shift would theoretically allow for a much-needed adjustment to the two windows of the transfer portal and help avoid situations such as Beau Pribula’s at Penn State.
Kiffin has made similar recommendations before. And he already runs Ole Miss football like an NFL organization. So, of course Staples’ idea has his full support.
“That’s what I’ve heard discussed,” Kiffin said. “There’d be a lot of good to that. Maybe the window’s a little earlier and then there’s a kind of OTA days back at the end of that.
“One (issue) is the kids are still at their old school through the spring. You’re kind of practicing with not your team for the next year. There’s some really good parts about it, but there’s some issues there.”
The pressing issue(s) these days — at least for Ole Miss — is preparing for the Gator Bowl all while hosting and signing transfers for 2025. An OTA format would go a long way in eliminating the roster overlap and general messiness.
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The Rebels are thriving regardless.
They’ve secured eight transfer commitments, including two this week in Missouri RB Kewan Lacy and Oklahoma State WR De’Zhaun Stribling. All returning contributors other than linebacker Chris ‘Pooh’ Paul will play in the Gator Bowl.
The Rebels (9-3, 5-3 SEC) take on Duke (9-3, 5-3 ACC) in Jacksonville, Florida, on January 2, 2025. Kickoff is 6 p.m. CT on ESPN.
“Jaxson (Dart) came out and said he was playing right away,” Kiffin said. “That impacted these other guys to want to play. When your quarterback says he isn’t, then it’s easier for other people not to. He wanted to leave this place better than when he got here. He certainly has.”
Dart is preparing for his final Ole Miss game while his replacement, Austin Simmons, is out recruiting weapons to lead the next great Rebel team.
No juxtaposition better illustrates the current state of college football.
“Austin’s done a really good job,” Kiffin said. “He’s up here a lot and always asking us who we’re on. Going to meals with recruits when they’re here and developing relationships with them and being very active.”
