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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Lane Kiffin Signing Day Press Conference
12/21/2022 | Football
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss football head coach Lane Kiffin met with the media Wednesday to discuss the Rebels' 2023 class on early signing day. A transcript can be found below.
Opening statement…
"Apologize for being late. We're still kind of working. A lot of things going on. We also have a scrimmage/mock game going on here in half an hour. There's still work being done. I think this is a strange signing time. Once we switched to the early, like I said the last couple years, it's not your full class. There are still guys out there potentially to sign later today or on normal signing day, plus there are so many transfers, some already coming here and a lot we're still working on that we can't even talk about the ones coming here. It's a little bit strange. Like I mentioned before, it's like talking about your draft class before the third day of the draft. Excited about the guys who we've already received their papers. I think there's a lot of really good players in there. Our coaches did a good job, the entire program working really hard to put this together and capitalize on the momentum on the field over the last couple of years and keeping a couple really high-impact, high recruits in the state of Mississippi. But again, kind of unusual press conference because no portal guys to talk about, which is a lot of the class nowadays. Normal questions about how many spots left and all of that, you're also in a different era because you don't have the 25 cap, which has made things extremely different from normal in all areas."
On the QB position…
"Things aren't always what they appear to be. I wouldn't say we lost a quarterback. It is what it is. Again, because of the portal, and because of it being so different and people with one year of eligibility to four years of eligibility going in it, even walking down here going over this stuff, this is kind of a weird press conference to have because it's so incomplete compared to what this will look like when we start spring ball, let alone camp as we've seen because nowadays we've seen guys in the summer still transferring and playing places. We do have some quarterback depth issues to work on. I think, in general, there's depth issues around the country and everywhere because you've got all these kids going into the portal—whatever it was, one of nine now, kids are in the portal. A lot of work to do at a number of positions but especially at quarterback."
On signing three of the top players in Mississippi…
"I think really big, which is obvious. Something that didn't necessarily happen when we first got here. They were going away to play. I think we did a better job of that. Hope we continue to do that. As guys come in and have success here, that will help that. I'm not going to get into NIL a whole lot and stuff but that had some effect before where I think it's public knowledge that we're in a little better position—we're definitely in a better position than we were sitting up here a year ago."
On if recruiting is frustrating in the current landscape…
"It's very abnormal. This could have happened anyway once signing period got moved up, you're going through our players are already warming up for scrimmage, our mock game today a week away from the bowl game as we're doing this on the phone with recruits, but then we also have had players that are going to play in this game missing practice because they're on official visits to other places because they're in the portal. It is a very strange time. And you're going to see more kids go into the portal around the country after their games, which is kind of what it used to be more of. It's going to continue to move all over the place until they figure out a better way to do this. You've just got way too big of free agency windows open. Really, which is good for them. You basically have a really good system, a very player-friendly system, in all areas, whether it's NIL and not real contracts that lock players in, or the portal that you can just go in and come back and go to visits and see what your market value is. There's nothing like this in professional sports. Usually professional sports, they're always arguging they're not player-friendly and the players' associations are always working for them. This is a super friendly player system now."
On positions of need in the portal…
"Like you mentioned and I have, that is still evolving. There's players that are in the portal that may come back here in our own portal that are out there that are visiting places. There's going to be some that are maybe going to go in after this game. There's still a couple of guys deciding whether to go to the NFL Draft. I have no clue what those numbers are exactly to ever be able to say, 'This is where we need two guys or three guys.'"
On watching Suntarine Perkins in the state title game…
"That's one of the most impressive games I've ever seen on film or in person, to do what he did on offense, defense, two-point plays, everything. Just a great athlete. Any time that you have a guy that's probably a defensive player that can do those things on offense, usually those are your best defensive players because they have really good ball skills and awareness where they can't do that on offense and they're more situation defensive guys. Very impressive."
On if he intentionally leaves space in his class for the transfer portal…
"Like I said, we're still working. I can basically tell you that's not going to be the number by the end of the day. Again, there's no 25 rule, so that thing before about how many spaces are left, there's not really math to do that and you don't know what your 85 is. I think you'll see a lot of portal players here and maybe not even necessarily what you're used to where it's all, these are portal guys who are supposed to be starters, I think you'll see portal guys in backup roles. You'll fill out your roster, there's thousands of guys in there, they're not all going to find what they think they're going to find."
On Brycen Sanders…
"He's a special kid, special family. I think he's got all the signs to be a really good player and leader up there. Stayed with us with a lot of people coming in to get him, including a coaching change and that staff going all out to get him. He's a very impressive kid."
On Kedrick Reescano…
"I think he's been an extremely productive back that we had way up there on the board from early on. Probably one of the, if rankings are based off of offers and all that stuff, whoever these people are that rank them, one of our higher-ranked players. I think he has a chance to be really special. I think it says a lot for a guy to follow arguably the best freshman in American in his spot and willing to come compete."
On Ayden Williams…
"I hope he's like the great ones that have come here from the state before. He has some signs of that. Really good length and ability to make plays. Seems to fit the profile of a really special receiver."
On if Zach Evans will return next season…
"He has not decided. He is still figuring that out. We have talked and he's still weighing his options."
Opening statement…
"Apologize for being late. We're still kind of working. A lot of things going on. We also have a scrimmage/mock game going on here in half an hour. There's still work being done. I think this is a strange signing time. Once we switched to the early, like I said the last couple years, it's not your full class. There are still guys out there potentially to sign later today or on normal signing day, plus there are so many transfers, some already coming here and a lot we're still working on that we can't even talk about the ones coming here. It's a little bit strange. Like I mentioned before, it's like talking about your draft class before the third day of the draft. Excited about the guys who we've already received their papers. I think there's a lot of really good players in there. Our coaches did a good job, the entire program working really hard to put this together and capitalize on the momentum on the field over the last couple of years and keeping a couple really high-impact, high recruits in the state of Mississippi. But again, kind of unusual press conference because no portal guys to talk about, which is a lot of the class nowadays. Normal questions about how many spots left and all of that, you're also in a different era because you don't have the 25 cap, which has made things extremely different from normal in all areas."
On the QB position…
"Things aren't always what they appear to be. I wouldn't say we lost a quarterback. It is what it is. Again, because of the portal, and because of it being so different and people with one year of eligibility to four years of eligibility going in it, even walking down here going over this stuff, this is kind of a weird press conference to have because it's so incomplete compared to what this will look like when we start spring ball, let alone camp as we've seen because nowadays we've seen guys in the summer still transferring and playing places. We do have some quarterback depth issues to work on. I think, in general, there's depth issues around the country and everywhere because you've got all these kids going into the portal—whatever it was, one of nine now, kids are in the portal. A lot of work to do at a number of positions but especially at quarterback."
On signing three of the top players in Mississippi…
"I think really big, which is obvious. Something that didn't necessarily happen when we first got here. They were going away to play. I think we did a better job of that. Hope we continue to do that. As guys come in and have success here, that will help that. I'm not going to get into NIL a whole lot and stuff but that had some effect before where I think it's public knowledge that we're in a little better position—we're definitely in a better position than we were sitting up here a year ago."
On if recruiting is frustrating in the current landscape…
"It's very abnormal. This could have happened anyway once signing period got moved up, you're going through our players are already warming up for scrimmage, our mock game today a week away from the bowl game as we're doing this on the phone with recruits, but then we also have had players that are going to play in this game missing practice because they're on official visits to other places because they're in the portal. It is a very strange time. And you're going to see more kids go into the portal around the country after their games, which is kind of what it used to be more of. It's going to continue to move all over the place until they figure out a better way to do this. You've just got way too big of free agency windows open. Really, which is good for them. You basically have a really good system, a very player-friendly system, in all areas, whether it's NIL and not real contracts that lock players in, or the portal that you can just go in and come back and go to visits and see what your market value is. There's nothing like this in professional sports. Usually professional sports, they're always arguging they're not player-friendly and the players' associations are always working for them. This is a super friendly player system now."
On positions of need in the portal…
"Like you mentioned and I have, that is still evolving. There's players that are in the portal that may come back here in our own portal that are out there that are visiting places. There's going to be some that are maybe going to go in after this game. There's still a couple of guys deciding whether to go to the NFL Draft. I have no clue what those numbers are exactly to ever be able to say, 'This is where we need two guys or three guys.'"
On watching Suntarine Perkins in the state title game…
"That's one of the most impressive games I've ever seen on film or in person, to do what he did on offense, defense, two-point plays, everything. Just a great athlete. Any time that you have a guy that's probably a defensive player that can do those things on offense, usually those are your best defensive players because they have really good ball skills and awareness where they can't do that on offense and they're more situation defensive guys. Very impressive."
On if he intentionally leaves space in his class for the transfer portal…
"Like I said, we're still working. I can basically tell you that's not going to be the number by the end of the day. Again, there's no 25 rule, so that thing before about how many spaces are left, there's not really math to do that and you don't know what your 85 is. I think you'll see a lot of portal players here and maybe not even necessarily what you're used to where it's all, these are portal guys who are supposed to be starters, I think you'll see portal guys in backup roles. You'll fill out your roster, there's thousands of guys in there, they're not all going to find what they think they're going to find."
On Brycen Sanders…
"He's a special kid, special family. I think he's got all the signs to be a really good player and leader up there. Stayed with us with a lot of people coming in to get him, including a coaching change and that staff going all out to get him. He's a very impressive kid."
On Kedrick Reescano…
"I think he's been an extremely productive back that we had way up there on the board from early on. Probably one of the, if rankings are based off of offers and all that stuff, whoever these people are that rank them, one of our higher-ranked players. I think he has a chance to be really special. I think it says a lot for a guy to follow arguably the best freshman in American in his spot and willing to come compete."
On Ayden Williams…
"I hope he's like the great ones that have come here from the state before. He has some signs of that. Really good length and ability to make plays. Seems to fit the profile of a really special receiver."
On if Zach Evans will return next season…
"He has not decided. He is still figuring that out. We have talked and he's still weighing his options."
Players Mentioned
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RB
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WR
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