Lane Kiffin Leads Up To Final Scrimmage, Feels 'Good' About Quarterback Situation
OXFORD, Miss. -- The Ole Miss Rebels are nine days away from their season opener, and while the quarterback competition has yet to be resolved, head coach Lane Kiffin feels good about where both players are.
The Rebels will start either Jaxson Dart or Luke Altmyer at quarterback this season, and the competition remains close as fall camp reaches its end.
"I think both guys have played better," Kiffin said. "I feel really good about both guys and how they're doing. We've got a really good situation."
Kiffin is no stranger to quarterback competitions during his coaching career, but he has learned some improvements to the decision-making process during that time.
"One thing over the years is that I've probably slowed down the decision-making of it," Kiffin said. "We can be wrong. They're wrong in the NFL. They take people in the top 10 picks, and they don't pan out. We try to get the most information we can before we rush into a decision."
Elsewhere on the Ole Miss roster, the Rebels have brought in a large number of players from the transfer portal this offseason, including quarterback Jaxson Dart.
"That was a long time coming," Kiffin said. "You knew analytics of your roster and who you anticipate losing. There was anticipation that you were losing a lot of players. We didn't sign the best classes in the world, and we've been in the process of filling that in."
The Rebel head coach has long vocalized the emphasis on building a strong team culture in the midst of multiple new faces on the roster, something that he believes has improved since the beginning of fall camp.
"I think they've done really well with that," Kiffin said. "They're doing all they can, but I'm reminded how many are in their first year here. I make a grateful list every morning, and the first thing on there is the transfer portal."
The Rebels will open their season at home against the Troy Trojans on Sept. 3. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.
You can follow John Macon on Twitter at @JMakeGillespie.
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