Ole Miss started out with a bang winning their first seven games and ended with a bust.  They seemed to have a very potent offense, especially with the running game.  As the Rebels entered competitive SEC play, the once highly ranked Rebels dropped significantly in the poles.  Ole Miss did not show up to LSU or Arkansas and were both beaten badly by these teams.  In addition, their play script was both exposed and opponents were given the formula to stop the once potent Ole Miss offense.

In November rumors about Kiffin going to Auburn began to circulate.  Kiffin never directly addressed the rumors but danced around them with half-truths.  This caused a lot of dissension among both the fans and the players.  Ole Miss lost five (5) of the next six (6) games and the team appeared to have quit on Kiffin.

Kiffin was given a huge contract at $9.5M for 4 years.  The buyout has not been disclosed, but you can be assured it is high.  Ole Miss can only hope they are not getting Jimboed by Kiffin, but getting a coach who is supposed to produce, yet only be disappointed in the results.  In addition, the buyout is so huge that the school cannot really afford to pay to get rid of the coach.

In the end, Kiffin started the rebuild process at Ole Miss.  He inherited a dumpster fire that was the result of two inept coaches, Luke and Freeze.  Kiffin seemed to be building something at Ole Miss, but then the wheels stopped turning in late October 2022.  You have to wonder with the big buyout if Kiffin just wants to get fired, collect the big buck, and go back to Boca to lead a leisurely life.  He could always be an offensive consultant somewhere and not have to coach.

As for recruiting, there have really been no top classes with players who could come in and be coached up.  Many of the players were one or two years and done.  This does not build much of a culture and the lack of player development does not build around a core team.  The portal has given players the chance to leave at will and the dropout rate for Ole Miss players to the portal is high.

Even though Kiffin has been given a big contract making him one of the top-paid coaches in football, he will still dream about the Auburn job that he supposedly turned down and think about what if.  Rebel fans will also wonder about the what-if of potentially hiring Luke Fickell.  In the end, Kiffin will probably continue to make unordinary decisions on the field and play like he is on Xbox.  Kiffin just needs to remember that he cannot hit the reset button and will have to accept the consequences of his decision.

Right now many fans, big donors, and players are skeptical of the illusiveness of Kiffin.  Now is the time that Kiffin will have to prove himself, and he has a lot of work to do.  Otherwise, his reputation as an immature job-hopping impulsive coach will resurface and follow him.