Lane Kiffin has long been known as a “quarterback whisperer” in college football, a head coach who is also a talented offensive mind that gets the most out of his signal callers on game day.
That trait has carried over to his time as the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. Kiffin has had two primary quarterbacks since he took the Ole Miss job prior to the 2020 season (Matt Corral and Jaxson Dart), and he has grown close to both players in a special way during that time period.
On Monday, Kiffin was asked about his relationship with Dart and how it has grown over the last two-plus seasons.
“I think Jaxson’s a wonderful person,” Kiffin said. “I think he treats people really well and spends a lot of time with his teammates and kids around here, including my own son and nephew. Really great family and great person.”
That level of admiration goes beyond off-the-field characteristics, however. Kiffin and Dart have also grown to trust one another, and there is a familiarity between the two of them now that only comes with multiple seasons spent together.
But it didn’t start with Dart. Kiffin also showed his loyalty to Corral when he was in Oxford, including during a six-interception performance against Arkansas in 2020, a game the Rebels would go on to lose.
“On the field, there’s a trust level there,” Kiffin said. “I think it pays off when you have relationships and the quarterbacks trust you too. You go back to Matt Corral when he threw six interceptions, sitting down with him telling him we’ve got to do a better job calling plays. ‘I’ve got to coach better, and don’t worry. We’ve got your back.’
“I think that goes a long way and goes a long way with kids in recruiting, knowing what they’re going to get when they get here and that they can trust us to have their back.”
Trust, mutual respect and an appreciation for attitude have made Dart and Kiffin a match made in college football heaven, and the Rebels are eyeing big prizes this season as a result. So far this season, Dart has thrown for 1,554 yards, 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions as Ole Miss hopes to pave a path to the College Football Playoff this winter.
For now, however, it’s all about growth and going 1-0 each week, but this firm relationship helps make it all possible.
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Publish date : 2024-09-24 02:00:00
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