Ole Miss Football: 3 reasons Lane Kiffin will turn the Rebels around

Ole Miss football announced the hiring of Lane Kiffin, who went out a winner at FAU, clinching the C-USA title just hours before. Can he fix Ole Miss?

Lane Kiffin is a lot of things. Petty. Enigmatic. Frustrating. But there’s one thing for certain: he’s a damn good offensive football coach.

Kiffin was hired by Ole Miss just a few hours after winning the Conference USA Championship, as his Owls routed the UAB Blazers 49-6. He finishes his tenure at FAU with a 26-13 record, including two ten-win seasons. These were also the first ten win seasons in the schools Division 1 history.

But has Kiffin turned it around? Has he really matured from his tenure at Tennessee and USC, and do a good job at Ole Miss? I believe he can and that Kiffin was a great hire for the Rebels.

Here are three reasons why he is the right man for the job.

3. Winning in the SEC West requires creativity

Lane Kiffin has always been one of the best offensive minds in college football, and to be successful in the gauntlet that is the SEC West, creativity is key.

Kiffin went to FAU after revolutionizing the Alabama offense, when he was brought in after the Crimson Tide had fallen flat for a couple of years. This past season, the Owls were easily the best offense in the conference, averaging 35 points a game and Chris Robinson throwing for over 3,300 yards on the season. To compete with Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M, Missouri and Mississippi State (sorry Razorbacks), you have to be explosive, and Kiffin can definitely provide that.

The biggest question will be if he can recruit to Ole Miss. His classes weren’t always at the top of Conference USA, but he maximized the talent. If he can bring in enough talent, he’ll construct the offense to compete with anyone.

Kiffin has a great start with John Rhys Plumlee, who began to figure things out at the end of the year last year. But he’ll need to improve his arm to fit into Kiffin’s scheme.