‘Good place to transfer to’: Promising early-season returns for Lane Kiffin’s transfer-heavy Ole Miss roster
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin took the podium for his weekly press conference on Monday wearing a red hoodie with ‘Transfer to the Sip’ blazoned across the chest.
He was making a statement, if his opening remarks were any indication.
Forty-seven percent of the Ole Miss roster is new in 2022. But his Rebels, which he’s now led going on three seasons, are perfect through the season’s first two weeks, and the high number of transfers is, undoubtedly, the primary reason why.
Every point scored (save for a goal-line touchdown plunge by starting quarterback Luke Altmyer) in a blowout win of Central Arkansas on Saturday was by transfers. Tight end Michael Trigg, formerly of USC, had three touchdowns on his own.
“That’s a lot of guys doing right for 59 points,” Kiffin said. “Good place to transfer to.”
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Message received.
Kiffin and the Rebels will next take their new-look show on the road to Georgia Tech. Kickoff is set for Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT.
Altmyer, who tweaked his throwing (right) shoulder against the Bears, practiced on Monday. Jaxson Dart, also from USC, stepped in and was brilliant, completing 10 of 15 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns.
Ole Miss racked up over 500 yards of offense.
Kiffin remain non-committal about his quarterback starter in Atlanta. Outside of the uncertainty under center, however, all other areas currently seem pretty settled and trending up, as Kiffin laid out to local media.
“Really pleased with the game in a lot of areas,” Kiffin said. “In a challenge of not an SEC opponent, to come in and play really well and be up at half by a lot and not come out flat in the third quarter, which I felt we did the week before.
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“A lot of guys got to play at the end — guys that usually don’t get to play that practice really hard here. That was all good.”
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A total of nine different Rebels made their debuts against Central Arkansas.
Two were true freshmen (tight end Kyirin Heath and linebacker Jaron Willis). Twenty-seven Rebels appeared for the first time in the season-opening, 28-10 win over Troy.
This week will bring about another round of firsts, specifically the first road test. Kiffin was asked, from a scheduling standpoint, if he’s glad Ole Miss is drawing another Power 5 opponent so early.
“Yeah, as long as we win,” Kiffin joked, before turning serious again. “This is a different set of obstacles. Really talented team that played great early in week one vs. Clemson. Played on five days rest the other night (against Western Carolina, a 35-17 Georgia Tech win). Probably self-admitted, they started a little slow, which happens after a big game like that.
“Again, I’ve said all along, this transfer thing, there’s good and bad. Everything’s new. We’ve got to go on the road with all these guys that haven’t been on the road with us. Challenges come with that. It’ll be a very big test for us.”
