Dawg83

Zero inside knowledge on this but I would be floored if Kiffin doesn’t attempt to raid OM’s roster. Guess we will see how much success comes of it.

Actually don’t at all hate some of the names being tossed around for the UK job. Seems like they are wanting to go the “coordinator at a major school” route, but maybe leaning more toward offense since that’s what sunk Stoops.

Made this comment before Golding was hired at OM…. I think it’s way more likely Roberts ends up Golding’s new DC. They go way back to their Delta State and SE LA days. So probably gonna be a different person for State if i have to guess.

A late entry to the carousel, Kentucky just fired Mark Stoops. A little late to the party, really…. Curious where this goes.

Thoughts on some of the other hires: Golesh to Auburn - I actually like it quite a bit. Whoever won the Golesh sweepstakes I would’ve considered a big winner in this. I’m not sure he’s a Kiffin level coach that can take Auburn to 10 wins every single year. But I think he can at worst match what Malzahn was doing, which I think Auburn severely took for granted. Sumrall to Florida - gonna need to see the OC hire but the guy is a straight up winner. I would say this is the one I’m most uncertain on. He is quite different from the two legendary Florida coaches that everyone is trying to replicate. It could be a big hit. But I could also see it not really working. Stricklin’s job is at stake on this one. Silverfield to Arkansas - if I’m wrong I’m wrong…. But I don’t think this one is going to work. Memphis coaches have not fared well after leaving for greener pastures, and he’s been less successful at Memphis than Fuente and Norvell were. Never coached in the SEC, minimal P5 experience…. I don’t really see him as a clear upgrade over Pittman.

I’m mixed on how I think Kiffin will do at LSU. He has some self destructive qualities where he can’t get out of his own way. And I’m not sure LSU is going to put up with some of the teenage girl crap that OM fans laughed at and said “lol that’s just Lane!” That said…. I am not sure there is a better offensive mind in the sport over the last decade. The production his OM teams put up yearly was just crazy. He also seemed to understand that you have to at least be decent on defense, which is where a lot of offense first coaches fail. If there's one thing LSU has never lacked, it’s talent, and he will have a lot to work with for sure. So there’s very much a path where this ends up being a home run and he’s the next Kirby Smart of the SEC, too. We will see in about 2-3 years, I guess.

Matchups certainly will matter, and OM will host a Playoff game so that certainly helps things too, but I’m of the opinion, until proven otherwise, that OM’s ceiling is probably lower in this playoff run without Kiffin and Weis. With a full staff I think you can make a strong argument for them getting to at least the semifinals. As is, I think they can win a home playoff game but beyond that I’m not sure I love their odds.

Kiffin handled this atrociously in every way possible and I totally get every OM fan that wants to punch that guy in the face. Once a snake, always a snake. I still don’t think the idea of him coaching the playoff would’ve been insane in a perfect world where you can remove emotion. But emotion is a big part of this. Especially with him going to LSU who is one of OM’s two most hated rivals. It’s certainly a very unique dynamic. I am not an OM fan so I’m certainly not seeing all the angles to this…. But what I do know is this Ole Miss team is really good. As in I don’t think it’s crazy at all to suggest they can make a deep playoff run at full strength. So for me, just handing that opportunity over to a half baked, piecemeal staff at the very least has to be a brutal pill to swallow.

It is starting to be reported that Golding will be the permanent head coach. Wow. I understand the thought process, I really do. Continuity and such. But how do I put this…. I guess we will see if Keith Carter is about to Arnett the bed on this one.

Kiffin sure does know how to have a chaotic exit.

Appears Arkansas is now hiring Ryan Silverfield. Read into that however you wish on Golesh

I stand by an earlier point I made, the 11 and 12 spots will basically be just for show but 1 through 10 is absolutely loaded this year. Could be an incredible playoff.

Sounds like it’s getting ugly with Lane possibly telling OM he will sabotage their playoff run if they don’t let him coach it

Nothing officially official yet…. But all indications today lead you to believe that Kiffin is on the next plane to Red Stick. And also that Sumrall to Florida seems to be incoming. We shall see what that trickle down means. Feels like Golesh will either be in Oxford, Auburn, or Fayetteville next year. That may be the next domino to fall, and would potentially impact the other two searches.

Bama survives another weird Jordan Hare iron bowl. So Bama vs UGA in Atlanta. Ole Miss and A&M will sit back and await who they’ll play in their home playoff game.

It’s both. They did not have enough talent, especially once Whitson got hurt and with Isaac Smith missing time periodically. But the talent they had was also not coached particularly well. What Georgia, Mizzou, and Ole Miss did to State’s defense can’t happen. That was embarrassing.

If you had offered me 5-7 for State before the year, I think I would’ve taken it? But how they got there was different and more frustrating than most expected I think the general view was they weren’t talented enough to beat most teams on their schedule. That was true in some instances, but not being able to finish off the Tennessee, Florida, or Texas games was really frustrating and not a result of talent. Find a way to win just one of those and you are in a bowl game. But State somehow managed to lose all three. The other part of it is, it felt like the team got worse as the season went on. This was not the same team after the Texas loss. Even when they beat Arkansas, they did not look very good doing so. But you got your first SEC win and most thought that the team would be able to build on that… yet they actually played their worst ball of the season in the last three games. I agree wholeheartedly that Kamario is an outstanding piece to build around. But you got A LOT of building to do around him. On the OL and the entire defense. I don’t think there is a good justification for Coleman Hutzler keeping his job as DC, and with that I’d probably move on from a few position coaches too. When Lebby assembled his staff two years ago, it felt a bit underwhelming, and an iffy staff is enough to sink an otherwise solid coach. Well, that’s the point we are kinda getting to here. I see the upside with Lebby and his offense, but he’s gotta get his staff fixed or else he can’t succeed here. I would go get Ron Roberts as your DC and call it a day. He’s a veteran presence that has been a quality DC in the SEC the last few years, has head coaching experience at the FCS and D2 level, and I presume is currently in need of a job since he was on Napier’s UF staff. Go make that happen and start getting your defense back to being competitive. It was virtually nonexistent for the last third of the season.

I would maybe get that if a team were 10-2 and the playoff situation were iffy. But at 11-1 and a playoff lock, man I think I’d want my team playing for a conference championship if it’s on the table. Of course my team can’t even qualify for a Birmingham Bowl invite the last 3 years so these mental debates are not applicable to me in the least. I live in misery while some of you fine folks get to have all the fun

Curious to see how far A&M falls after their loss. Probably dropped them from a first round bye to hosting as a 5 to 8 seed, though not sure exactly where. Their resume outside of the Notre Dame win (great win, BTW) is pretty blah. They got a really favorable draw with their SEC schedule. I would presume, for now, if chalk holds tomorrow, Georgia slides up to 3 and Texas Tech moves into a bye position at 4?

Texas about to upset A&M…. Meaning Ole Miss is one Iron Bowl upset away from playing Georgia in Atlanta.

State blows a lead to SMU and loses at the Hump. The Black Friday double whammy is complete. See yall in baseball season I guess. Or at least that’s the next time I may have a team worth being emotionally invested in.

They pretty much do at this point. There are not many State people happy with Lebby at the moment. I get that the team improved from 2024 but going from 0-8 in the SEC to 1-7 in the SEC (with the one win being over soon to be 2-10 Arkansas)…. That’s not gonna move the needle for most. I have not had that experience with people still blaming Arnett. I don’t really agree with that take anyway, Arnett was part of the issue but he was ultimately one guy in a tough spot in a position he wasn’t prepared for. The recruiting was trending in the wrong direction even before the Arnett year happened. You can’t blame State being what they are on just one person. It’s a combination of poor leadership from multiple coaches, the former AD (TBD on the current AD, we’ll see if Lebby works out), and then the untimely passing of Leach. But going into Year 3 and very much in the portal era, it’s 100% on Lebby now. No excuses if they are still bad in 2026. I kinda think that needs to be a 7 or 8 win team or else it’s time to move on. I would argue the biggest thing working in the favor Lebby getting more time right now is the unreal volatility State had at head coach after Mullen left. I don’t think State wants to be firing a coach within two years for the third time since 2019.

When Dan Mullen was driving Ole Miss fans crazy, OM fans did anything and everything in their power to flip the script…. It turns out they maybe went a little overboard in the end, but point is they didn’t sit there and take it. And Mullen lost 4 of his last 6 EB’s after starting 3-0. Kiffin has owned State and State people are doing…. What, exactly? Wishing upon a star Kiffin will leave? I got news for everyone in administration in Starkville, Lane Kiffin is only about 5 to 10% of why your football program has been in hell for the last 3 years. You’ve got a world of things to fix first before we realistically entertain that discussion. Let me put it like this…. Kiffin could leave tomorrow, Ole Miss could immediately regress as a program, and there’s still a very realistic chance State isn’t good enough to beat a lesser Ole Miss consistently. That’s how bad the program has been allowed to get at State. 2-22 in SEC play the last 3 years, 1-15 under the current coach. Get your crap together or don’t bother pretending to be an SEC football program that takes football seriously.

Congrats to OM on your home playoff game. The most likely outcome today is what played out. Kamario Taylor is a special talent. Jeff Lebby needs to replace about 75% of his staff or he can leave the building, too.

My prediction, if Kiffin leaves, is that Alex Golesh is the next coach at OM. And him waiting on OM may be why the deal between him and Arkansas is not finalized yet. I’m a fan of Golesh, FWIW.