Lane Kiffin adds Quincy Casimir to Ole Miss coaching staff



Lane Kiffin continues to add to his coaching staff.

The second-year Ole Miss head coach, who led the Rebels to a 5-5 record in his debut campaign, including a 26-20 win over then-No. 11 Indiana in the Outback Bowl, has pulled Quincy Casimir from Wake Forest. Casimir was a defensive graduate assistant for the Demon Deacons the last two seasons.

“Can’t thank Coach (Dave) Clawson and the staff at Wake enough for an amazing two years,” Casimir wrote, in announcement of the news posted to his personal Twitter account. “Thankful for everyone, from video to my guys in the equipment room. Special thanks to (Wake Forest CBs coach Paul Williams) and the DBs for letting me be a part of their journey. Excited to work with Ole Miss football. #HottyToddy.”

The addition of Casimir caps a busy offseason for Kiffin in reshaping his staff. Three new on-field assistants were hired (John David Baker, Coleman Hutzler and Randall Joyner), while Ole Miss held off a number of schools in pursuit of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Jeff Lebby. Marquise Watson was also promoted from graduate assistant to player personnel analyst, as first reported by The Ole Miss Spirit’s David Johnson.

Lebby, a semifinalist for the Broyles Award, which honors the nation’s best assistant coach, signed a two-year extension worth $1.2 million per year, up from $700,000. The Rebels broke the SEC record for total offense in conference games (562.4 yards per game) last season and were ranked in the Top 20 in the country in 10 offensive categories.

“Coach Lebby did an incredible job managing our offense and preparing Matt (Corral) every game,” Kiffin said in January. “Coach Lebby brings the innovative mentality we want in our program, and we look forward to building on the historic success of this season's offense.”

Casimir is expected to work with the Ole Miss defensive backs. He joined Wake Forest as a defensive quality control coach in the spring of 2019 and was promoted to graduate assistant in the spring of 2020.

Casimir played at the University of Miami and at Miami Norland High School as a defensive back. He started his career at Fairmont State in 2011 before spending his final three seasons with the Hurricanes. Casimir was Norland’s Scholar-Athlete of the year as a senior in 2010 and helped the Vikings to a 13-2 record and the state finals while recording 143 tackles.  He blocked five kicks and returned one for a score.

A 2016 graduate of UM with a degree in sports administration, Casimir went on to earn a master’s degree in sports administration in 2017. He worked with the Hurricanes under former defensive coordinator and current head coach Manny Diaz as a defensive assistant in the secondary.

Ole Miss returns pretty much its entire starting secondary — led by senior cornerback Keidron Smith — for a defense that made positive steps towards the end of the year but still finished second-to-last in college football in total defense under co-defensive coordinators D.J. Durkin and Chris Partridge. They were No. 117 in scoring defense.

Smith started all 10 games and finished second on the team in tackles (64). A.J. Finley, who had a team-high three interceptions, is back at safety, as is Georgia graduate transfer Otis Reese. Reese spent most of 2020 awaiting clearance to play from the NCAA. He saw action in just the final three games but still ended up 13th in tackles (24) and tied for second in interceptions (1). He also broke up a pass. Ole Miss was 68th nationally in interceptions.

Other notable returnees include Jakorey Hawkins (six starts at CB), Jon Haynes (seven starts at safety), Jaylon Jones, Jalen Jordan (six starts at STAR), Tylan Knight, Miles Battle, Jamar Richardson, Deane Leonard and Jalen Denton. Further, Navy transfer Jake Springer is now eligible following a sit-out season due to NCAA rules.

The Rebels prioritized the position in the 2021 recruiting class as well. Four-stars Tysheem Johnson, Dink Jackson and Markevious Brown are among the 18 early enrollees already on campus, as are MJ Daniels, Trey Washington, Demarko Williams and Kyndrich Breedlove. Deantre Prince saw action in 12 games at cornerback as a true freshman before entering the transfer portal. He’s returned as a walk-on and is classified as a junior.

Ole Miss is set to open spring football practices March 23, culminating in the annual Grove Bowl intrasquad scrimmage April 24 at 4 p.m. CT. This will be the first under Kiffin as the 2020 spring season was cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ole Miss baseball will host LSU for a three-game series that weekend, while Rebel softball welcomes Auburn.

Grove Bowl weekend
- Thursday, April 22 – Baseball vs. LSU, 7 p.m.
- Friday, April 23 – Softball vs. Auburn, 5 p.m.
- Friday, April 23 – Baseball vs. LSU, 6:30 p.m.
- Saturday, April 24 – Baseball vs. LSU, noon
- Saturday, April 24 – Grove Bowl, 4 p.m.
- Saturday, April 24 – Softball vs. Auburn, 6 p.m.
- Sunday, April 25 – Softball vs. Auburn, 1 p.m.

SOURCE: Garrett, Ben. "​Lane Kiffin adds Quincy Casimir to Ole Miss coaching staff." OMSpirit.com, 9 March 2021, https://247sports.com/college/ole-miss/Article/Lane-Kiffin-adds-Quincy-Casimir-to-Ole-Miss-coaching-staff-162102007/