It’s no secret that Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin likes to bolster his roster with the transfer portal. And while he’s always been of the mind that more competition makes every player better, it’s pretty clear from his recent comments that the portal additions aren’t just about competition, they’re about making the team better.
During a press conference last month, Lane Kiffin made it clear that sometimes he brings in players simply because they’re better than the other players on the roster.
“We hang on this competition because we preach that and you guys report that because we talk about it all the time, but it’s not just competition why you bring people in, it’s to make your roster better and I think that gets forgotten sometimes with the kids or the parents that they don’t understand,” Lane Kiffin said according to On3.
“Does it mean you don’t have confidence in our kid? No, it doesn’t. It means we want to win games and we want to have really deep rosters at positions so when things happen, other guys are ready to play.”
Kiffin then had a pretty blunt message about who exactly the team is trying to please. And it’s not the individual players.
“I said the other day in an article, we’re not here to please the individual player or their family. We’re here to look at the big picture, which means bringing in people, even though they don’t want to. Even if they’re veteran players and it creates competition. And not just competition, injuries happen. You’ve got to play those guys,” Kiffin said.
Harsh, but fair.
[On3]
