Lane Kiffin Finds Benefit in Ole Miss Having 'Alabama Model' Coaching Staff

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin sees plenty of benefits in modeling his coaching staff after the former makeups with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin watches during the Ole Miss Grove Bowl Games at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, Apr. 13, 2024. / Bruce Newman/Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK

Lane Kiffin has regained his footing as a college football head coach as he enters his fifth season with the Ole Miss Rebels, but just as important as the head honcho is the talent that he surrounds himself with.

That's a key aspect of coaching that Nick Saban mastered at Alabama: build your staff with individuals who excel in their area of expertise, and let them help you build a championship roster. Kiffin has taken that model and applied to to Ole Miss, placing multiple former head coaches on his staff as analysts.

The Rebels have former Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett, former New York Giants head coach Joe Judge and Kiffin's brother on staff this season who have a combination of college and NFL experience. These and others on his staff bring a wealth of knowledge to the Manning Center for the players.

"It's awesome to have so many people available to them," Kiffin said on Monday. "One's been an NFL head coach, and another has been in the NFL a long time. I really like that we have so many resources for them from a football-knowledge standpoint, from a life-situation standpoint.

"These kids go through a lot, so the more people you can have around that have either done it themselves as players or now as coaches walk kids through different situations is of extreme value. I'm appreciative of [athletic director Keith Carter] for allowing us to bring all these guys together and have the spots for them, and it's very Alabama model-ish."

Nov 22, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Giants head coach Joe Judge looks on against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports / Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Kiffin is a product of this philosophy that was used by Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa. After he was fired from USC, Kiffin was brought onto Saban's staff as the offensive coordinator, and it helped revitalize his career and get him back into the head coaching game.

Even with that obvious plus, he believes that some people overlook a key benefit of adding so many experienced names to a coaching staff.

"Everybody kind of looked at it like the coaches went there and kind of rehabbed and got jobs out of there," Kiffin said, "and I don't know if there's enough thought of how much that helped the players having all those coaches there. That's the way I look at it now."

The newest analyst hire for Ole Miss was announced on Sunday and confirmed by Kiffin on Monday. Chris Kiffin, Lane's brother, has joined the staff as an analyst after multiple career stops in college football and the NFL.

Chris brings a deep football knowledge to Oxford, but there's also a personal side to the hire after the passing of Monte Kiffin, the family patriarch, earlier this summer.

"This is something that we discussed and were able to work out," Lane Kiffin said. "It's really awesome to have him around. Without being too personal, I know my dad's excited about that, and this is, as [Chris] reminded me, our fourth time working together.

"It's awesome, especially as his four kids will be here, and they're actually on the same street as me. Moved in two nights ago, so that's really cool. From a coaching standpoint, it gives us someone with a lot of experience and a good ability to gameplan and knowledge."

This week is where things get real for the Kiffins and the rest of the Ole Miss staff. The Rebels are scheduled to open their season at home against the FCS Furman Paladins this Saturday at 6 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on SEC Network+.