What we didn't learn from Ole Miss football, Lane Kiffin at SEC Media Days but wish we had
NASHVILLE — The lights are off, the TV cameras have been stowed away and the SEC signage has been taken down.
Talking season is officially over.
But we still have questions for Ole Miss football and coach Lane Kiffin after the Rebels took their turn at SEC Media Days on Thursday. Here's a look at what went unresolved.
What's up with the quarterback situation at Ole Miss?
Kiffin is not showing his cards at the quarterback position anytime soon, and indicated as much by dodging the question when he was asked whether there would be an outright competition in preseason practice between Jaxson Dart and Spencer Sanders.
"It's a really competitive room," he said. "And it's in much better shape, which is our goal as a staff for an entire roster, each position group to try to make them more competitive and more balanced throughout.
"That room is by far the best it's been since I've been here, so we're excited about camp coming up to see these guys fully healthy."
Whether Kiffin will carry the quarterback ambiguity into the regular season, as he did with Dart and Luke Altmyer last season, remains to be seen.
Why was Chris Marshall dismissed?
Kiffin did not get asked about the unexpected departure of one of his key offseason transfer portal additions.
Wideout Chris Marshall, a former five-star prospect who transferred from Texas A&M in late December, was dismissed from the program in early May with no explanation other than to say he violated team rules.
No reporting has emerged as to the specifics. The Rebels landed UTSA receiver Zakhari Franklin afterward, presumably as a replacement for Marshall.
What are Kiffin's opinions on the Tennessee recruiting scandal?
The NCAA announced on July 14 that Tennessee had committed hundreds of infractions in three seasons, including 18 Level I violations. The Vols were placed on probation for five years, but no postseason ban was levied.
Kiffin — who went from Tennessee to USC in 2010, only to find the Trojans get hit with a two-year bowl ban shortly after he was hired — has opinions. But to the chagrin of just about everyone besides Tennessee fans, he decided against sharing them.
"I got a lot of thoughts on that case and the case at USC and the case at Tennessee and the penalties and all that," he said. "I'm not really going to get into that. We're here to talk about the Ole Miss team. You know, happy for coach (Josh) Heupel. I read where he was ecstatic about the penalties and the $8 million fine. So that kind of probably tells you about how severe the penalties are in their eyes. I'm happy for them that they don't have to go through what we went through. So good for them."
OK, so maybe he did tell us his opinion without actually saying it. But we'd still like to hear more.
LEARNING FROM MISTAKES: Ole Miss football 'gave up' in 2022, one Rebel says. How Lane Kiffin can prevent that in 2023
What are Kiffin's goals for 2023?
A classic media days question is some version of the following:
"What would be a successful season for Ole Miss in 2023?"
As far as we can tell, Kiffin never got that one this week. That's slightly disappointing, because it does feel like there's some ambiguity as to what exactly Ole Miss should be shooting for. The sportsbooks have the win total over/under set at 7.5.
Is the goal nine wins? Would eight wins suffice as long as one of them comes in the Egg Bowl?
Kiffin said that eight wins weren't good enough when Ole Miss lost the Texas Bowl to Texas Tech last season. How has his perception evolved since that point?
David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Lane Kiffin on Ole Miss football quarterback competition, Tennessee
