The final coach to step to the podium on the first day of SEC media days was Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin.
After four successful years with the Rebels, there are huge expectations on Kiffin’s shoulders and for Ole Miss’ future in the SEC.
However, as Texas and Oklahoma enter the conference, those expectations have heightened pressure.
“It does make it more challenging if you bring in two national, traditional powers of Heismans and stadium size,” Kiffin said.
To put it bluntly, Kiffin made it clear he isn’t a fan of the changes in college football.
In his opening remarks, Kiffin talked about how he’s a traditionalist when it comes to college sports and the changes have made collegiate football drastically different than it used to be.
From the transfer portal to NIL deals to conference realignments, NCAA football looks very different than it did even five years ago.
Kiffin did compliment SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey’s work toward ensuring that the SEC handles all of the latest changes to collegiate sports in the best way possible.
The Rebels’ head coach repeatedly compared the current college football scene to that of the NFL or NBA free agencies.
Having to continuously rebuild rosters was a constant theme of day one and the media’s questions for Kiffin were no different.
“No matter what happens, there’s a benefit and a cost,” Kiffin said. “[Texas and Oklahoma joining] is awesome but it will make it harder to win.”