The departure of head coach Lane Kiffin lingers over the Ole Miss Rebels ahead of their College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against Georgia.
Though the Rebels would not permit Kiffin to coach his team through the CFP after he left for rival LSU, six of his assistants—including offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr.—were allowed to stay on during the playoff run. With the Rebels playing Georgia on Thursday before the transfer portal opens up a day later on Friday, it’s created a particularly messy timeline. According to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo! Sports, there are concerns over tampering within the Ole Miss program, and the fear that LSU will poach several Rebels players through the portal after their season ends.
“It’s unfortunate what has been going on with our players and their former head coach and staff,” Ole Miss NIL collective director Walker Jones said, via Dellenger. “Having to deal with the pressure of making future decisions while trying to prepare for a playoff run is not a sustainable model.
“Yes, does a bad calendar and lack of true oversight hurt? Of course,” Jones continued. “But so does poor character and lack of respect for your former employer and players. That being said, we are prepared and effectively dealing with this first-of-its-kind, complicated situation.”
Matt Bowers, an Ole Miss alum and booster, told Dellenger, “You think Lane is minding his own business and meditating? Come on. I think there are kids he’ll try to get from Ole Miss.”
According to Delleneger, an Ole Miss official said that assistant coaches staying with Ole Miss will sit in meetings led by the assistants leaving for LSU to ensure there’s no tampering taking place.
“It’s very strange,” Weis Jr. acknowledged to Dellenger. “You spend the whole day grinding together with the game-plan, and at night, you’ve got to go to opposite sides. At nighttime, we go take care of recruiting meetings on our own. It’s a crazy deal.”
Despite these concerns from Ole Miss, quarterback Trinidad Chambliss told reporters ahead of the Sugar Bowl that he has not spoken with Kiffin, noting he doesn’t think that’s allowed at the moment. Instead, Chambliss indicated that they are all focused on beating Georgia to advance to the semifinals of the CFP.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ole Miss Reportedly Concerned About Tampering Following Lane Kiffin's Departure.
