As Lane Kiffin settled into his new home in the Manning Center, focus for the new Ole Miss head coach immediately shifted to developing the framework for a winning SEC program.
Since landing at the University-Oxford Airport in early December, Kiffin has been traveling back and forth working to preserve this year’s recruiting class while simultaneously building his coaching staff.
He’s seen success in both so far.
The dead period for recruiting after the early signing day ended, and Ole Miss hosted several prospects over the weekend. Kiffin has not only preserved this class but improved it immediately with commitments from a few high-profile recruits over weekend.
Four-star running back Henry Parrish out of Miami announced his commitment to join an already impressive Ole Miss backfield on Sunday and four-star defensive end Demon Clowney committed on Monday night.
Kiffin also received transfer commitments from four-star Otis Reese from Georgia and tight end Kenny Yeboah from Temple. The 6-foot-5 pass catcher had 233 yards and five touchdowns in 2019 for the Owls and will be immediately eligible for Ole Miss in 2020. Reese will sit out this season with two more years of eligibility.
Ole Miss is also on the short list for five-star running back Zachary Evans out of Texas.
It’s apparent the Ole Miss staff has shifted focus from securing in-state talent to pursuing the best prospects available all over the country. Kiffin’s name recognition and proven staff should be valuable on the recruiting trail with an important second signing day approaching.
Kiffin’s new staff made their first appearance at the Pavillion on Saturday night when the basketball team took on LSU.
New additions to the staff include Jeff Lebby, Randy Clements, Kevin Smith and Joe Jon Finley on offense and D.J. Dirkin, Chris Partridge, Terrell Buckley and Blake Gideon on defense and special teams.
Kiffin poached Lebby from UCF to serve as offensive coordinator, though it’s likely the head coach will assume the play-calling duties.
Clements and Finley will be the running game and passing game coordinators, respectively, and Smith will coach running backs, replacing Derrick Nix who will move to the receiver room in his 13th season at Ole Miss.
On the defensive side, Durkin and Partridge will be co-defensive coordinators with Buckley handling cornerbacks.
Kiffin and his staff have a chance to put together an impressive class of 2020 even with limited time on the job, which could set the stage for a new standard for Ole Miss football recruiting in the coming years.
