Ole Miss football spring practice shows evidence of Lane Kiffin's new roster-building method
OXFORD — Ole Miss football's spring roster holds 27 different players who arrived in Oxford from another Division I institution.
Lane Kiffin could try to fit all of them on the field at once during one of the Rebels' upcoming spring scrimmages, but he'd spend all day picking yellow flags off the field. Coaching a football team and collecting laundry at the same time doesn't fit anyone's idea of effective multitasking.
But the reality is that the Rebels aren't overstocked with finished products out of the transfer portal ready to dominate right this minute. In fact, Kiffin indicated on Tuesday that Ole Miss has more needs to fill when the transfer portal re-opens on April 15, specifically on defense, where Pete Golding is transitioning the Rebels from a three-man front to a 4-2 look.
Immediate impact and quick fixes are available in the transfer portal, yes. But the difference in the most recent portal cycle was the availability of depth. Ole Miss shopped for backups in the portal this offseason, willing to take players who can provide depth or help the Rebels win down the line alongside the one-year rentals that have been most prevalent thanks to relaxed NCAA transfer rules and a fifth year of eligibility granted to anyone on a college roster when the pandemic hit in 2020.
Kiffin predicted this would be the case before the new year. And, asked Tuesday whether that prediction aligned with his current evaluation of his new pieces, Kiffin said yes.
"I think when it's all said and done, including guys that we add in this next window, they're not all gonna start," Kiffin said. "There are gonna be a number of them that are significant backups."
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It doesn't take much thought to identify some of the names Kiffin brought in with the future in mind this offseason. Quarterback Walker Howard is the most obvious one. The Rebels have made it clear that the redshirt freshman addition from LSU is a developmental piece. Barring something extraordinary, the former four-star prospect will be learning from whoever wins the quarterback competition between Jaxson Dart and Spencer Sanders ‒ both also transfer additions over the last two offseasons.
But there are other positions on the field ‒ ones that have generated fewer offseason headlines ‒ where the transfers might fit as depth pieces, possibly even without the promise of something more down the line.
"I think you're seeing that at linebacker," Kiffin said. "You're seeing that at offensive line, especially."
The Rebels brought in two transfer offensive linemen over the winter: Washington's Victor Curne and UAB's Quincy McGee. Both of those players are beginning their final season of eligibility come fall.
The same can be said for the Rebels' two linebacker additions: Louisville's Monty Montgomery and UCF's Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste.
Perhaps this is the future of roster construction for high-major college football programs, or maybe it's just an isolated trend as coaches continue to navigate the new landscape carved out by NIL and the transfer portal.
It's too early to start taking stabs at the Ole Miss starting lineup on either side of the ball. But easy math tells us not all the transfers can fit.
David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Lane Kiffin's new roster building method evident for Ole Miss football
