How Lane Kiffin Uses an Innovative Practice Model From the NFL For Ole Miss

The Ole Miss Rebels are attacking fall camp in their own way, as is often the style from head coach Lane Kiffin.

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin and QB Jaxson Dart / Ole Miss Athletics

Football coaches are creatures of habit, but Lane Kiffin has never been afraid to buck a trend, including in the way he runs practices with the Ole Miss Rebels.

So far in fall camp, Ole Miss has taken an approach to practice that is different than some programs around the country, focusing more on mental preparation than conditioning. According to Kiffin, he's borrowing a practice from the NFL in that regard.

"We've got a lot of work in," Kiffin said of his team on Monday. "For the most part, really healthy, so that's been good to see the majority of the guys out there pretty much at full speed. We've had a lot of meetings and walkthroughs. Our format has changed over the years, especially a year ago, where we don't practice as much.

"We really have more of an NFL model, talking to the NFL people about injury prevention and taking care of players. They call it 'ramp up.' It's a little frustrating because in five days, we've only practiced three times. But I think it'll pay off long-term for the players' bodies."

If Ole Miss wants to accomplish its lofty goals in the 2024 season (an SEC title and College Football Playoff appearance), it will need to be healthy at key spots throughout the year. That's the primary reason behind Kiffin's approach to practice in recent years, but habits are not easily broken.

These changes have taken some getting used to, and there are some pros and cons to this model.

"I think it doesn't probably tell you quite as much about conditioning because in the old way, it used to be two-a-days every day," Kiffin said, "but even after that, you were still practicing like every day. Even when they go back-to-back days in camp, usually it'll be a morning and not until the night the next day, a full day and a half off. It obviously makes a lot more sense, but it's against our wiring as coaches over all the years to do it."

Ole Miss has plenty of talent on its roster this year, but Kiffin has seemed to take extra precautions to ensure his talent remains healthy. The Rebels' spring game was not a traditional scrimmage like most programs, but instead was replaced by the "Grove Bowl Games," a series of events and challenges mixed with some seven-on-seven action.

But will this caution pay off? If the Rebels can keep their bodies fresh and avoid injuries, the answer would be yes, but there is a lot of time between now and December.