Ole Miss’ Lane Train rolls into the Ivey League with stories of a one-of-a-kind coaching career
Jared Ivey arrived at Ole Miss following the Sugar Bowl in the off-season of 2022.
Lane Kiffin’s Rebels weren’t rebuilding, but they certainly had some roster-wide retooling on their collective plate. The Rebels had lost, among others, star quarterback Matt Corral and All-American EDGE Sam Williams.
Ole Miss was facing similar roster upheaval after the history-making 2023-24 campaign. The Rebels finished with a program-record 11 overall wins. They whipped Penn State in the Peach Bowl.
But rather than leave for the NFL Draft, key player after key player opted instead to return for next season, when Ole Miss is a trendy pick for the expanded College Football Playoff. The Rebels have been ranked inside the Top 10 in each of the last three years.
“You can have a culture, but there’s so much turnover nowadays with the players, but also coaches, too. You’ve got to re-do it every year,” Kiffin, who’s entering his fifth Ole Miss season, said in his appearance this week on the ‘Ivey League,’ a podcast exclusive to the Ole Miss Spirit and hosted by Ivey, the third-year star Rebel defender.
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Kiffin continued, “It makes it a lot easier when a lot of you guys came back that could have left for the NFL. We’re very fortunate this year to have a lot of the core guys back that are, really, high-culture guys. Your group of guys, it makes it so much easier. Whereas I felt like two years ago for that Sugar Bowl we had to kind of re-do everything because a lot of those guys were gone.”
Ivey has noticed the difference in off-seasons, too.
“I could definitely feel the voids and where they were at,” Ivey said. “I know we’d do the Thursday deal where somebody gets up there and a lot of times Luke (Altmyer) and Jaxson (Dart) would get up there because they were competing for the (starting quarterback) spot. What I heard from the other guys was that was kind of Matt’s deal when he took over. He gave the ‘Get Ready’ speech. Just guys trying to fall in place.
“I think it’s super cool that a lot of us are coming back. I know we all came back with one thing on our mind: (National championship) or bust.”
Ole Miss wrapped spring practices earlier this month. The Rebels kick off the year against Furman August 31.
“It’s going to be an awesome run,” Kiffin said.
IVEY LEAGUE EPISODES
- Chris ‘Pooh’ Paul’s journey to Ole Miss and, now, the Ivey League
- JJ Pegues enters the ‘Ivey League’: Coming home, making right and giving back
- TJ Dudley reports to the Ivey League with a love of Beethoven and big Ole Miss dreams
- Go, Diego (Pounds), Go! From UNC to Ole Miss and on to the Ivey League
- Star Rebel defender Jared Ivey has ‘no bounds’ for his Spirit-exclusive ‘Ivey League’ podcast
- ‘Doo’ Does the Ivey League: Ole Miss football riding Bentley as lead back in 2024
- A ‘Princely’ (Umanmielen) welcome to the ‘Ivey League’ for Ole Miss football’s newest sack artist
- Banks’ Open in the ‘Ivey League’: Coming home, gaming and stepping up at Ole Miss
- Ivey League: Keith Carter details how he held off Arkansas again for another Ole Miss head coach
