University of Mississippi Head Football Coach Lane Kiffin boasts an impressive track record with 34 victories in the four years he has been leading the Rebels. While it is hard to find anyone in the SEC who has not heard of Juice Kiffin’s legendary dad, often the work of other coaches who contribute significant hours to Ole Miss’ success on the field goes unnoticed.
Among them is Cord Sparkman, a student coach for the Ole Miss Football Team.
The junior economics major from Austin said that his high school coaches were instrumental in helping him earn this position.
“(The coaches) would buy me lunch a couple of times a week, and I would (watch) film for them, since they knew I wanted to get into (coaching),” Sparkman said. “So they helped me get experience.”
Sparkman was also a quarterback in high school, which helped him become familiar with the game. His coaches were ultimately able to connect him to Matt Lindsey, the former general manager for the Ole Miss Football Team, which led to a student coaching position.
Sparkman works with the defensive backs — primarily the safeties, but occasionally the cornerbacks, as well. Part of his role involves watching film and taking notes.
“We’ll run 100-150 plays on a big day,” Sparkman said. “I’m responsible for typing what we ran (each play). … Starting around one o’clock, we’ll watch (film) together as a staff, and then I mark down our corrections.”
During the fall, when football is in season, Sparkman works long hours — reporting to the practice facility around 6 a.m. and staying until at least 9 p.m. Some nights, Sparkman stays until past midnight.
In the offseason, Sparkman’s hours are lighter, yet still demanding. He begins working every day around 7:30 a.m. and typically stays until 5 p.m., clocking out briefly throughout the day when he has class. Sparkman agrees that balancing school and social life with his position as a student coach is often difficult.
“It feels like I’m juggling three balls, and a lot of the time I’ve dropped one,” Sparkman said.
Sparkman schedules his more difficult classes for the spring semester because the fall semester is so busy.
The long hours are not without reward. Not only is Sparkman on the field for every game — home and away — but he is also responsible for giving the hand signals on the sidelines that indicate to the defense what blitzes and coverages to run. In fact, it is Sparkman who comes up with the signals in the first place.
“I’ve been doing that since my sophomore year,” Sparkman said. “There’ll be me and one or two other guys (doing the signals) just so that (other teams) don’t steal (the signs).”
Sparkman’s favorite moment as a coach came during the 2021 season, when the Rebels played the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville. The game was made notorious by Tennessee fans who, dissatisfied with Ole Miss’ victory, hurled beer bottles and golf balls onto the field.
“The game had to stop for 30 minutes,” Sparkman said. “I still have a Jameson bottle someone threw at me.”
Sparkman plans on graduating next December, as there are typically coaching positions open in January and February each year. His dream is to land an offensive coordinator job either in the NFL or on a high-profile college team.
“Everything I do talking to people (is) now (directed toward) making that step at some point, whether it’s potentially getting a job in the NFL next year (or) in the next three to four years,” Sparkman said.
