LEXINGTON, Ky. — One is about defense, the other about offense, but when seventh-ranked Kentucky plays 14th-ranked Ole Miss on Saturday at Oxford, the two head coaches have much in common.
Both are proud products of the family business. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin is the son of Monte Kiffin, the legendary defensive coordinator who won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 2002 season. Lane’s brother Chris is the Cleveland Browns’ defensive line coach. Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops is the son of legendary Youngstown high school coach Ron Stoops Sr., the late father of three college head coaches — Mark at Kentucky; Bob, formerly at Oklahoma; Mike, formerly at Arizona and currently linebackers coach on Mark’s staff.
Both Stoops and Kiffin have built winning SEC programs at schools that have struggled to win. The three years before Kiffin, Ole Miss was 15-21. The Rebels are 19-8 since. The three years before Stoops, Kentucky was 13-24. The Wildcats are 63-53 since.
