Speculation abounds about who’ll stroll the Ole’ Miss sidelines.
The heat wave that swept across the South last week was miserable enough, but what happened at Ole’ Miss last week was far more blistering.
Courtesy: Red Cup Rebellion
Rebels’ fans are coping with the unexpected resignation of Ole’ Miss head coach, Hugh Freeze.
It’s no secret that the Rebels have been in the NCAA doghouse for numerous recruiting violations. Freeze, who coached in Oxford for five seasons, deflected blame onto former coach, Houston Nutt, whose association with the scandal has yet to be proven.
Ironically, Nutt played prominently in Freeze’s downfall, even though he had no intention of doing so. All he wanted was to have his name cleared.
But when Steve Robertson, an investigator who was looking into allegations against Nutt, found something of interest, he contacted Nutt’s attorney, Thomas Mars, to share the news. Freeze had used a university-issued phone to contact an escort service in Tampa, Florida. When Ole’ Miss officials investigated that allegation, they found more than one instance. It was a pattern.
Freeze resigned almost immediately. So, now, an already-troubled Rebel football program has Matt Luke–the Ole’ Miss OC the past six seasons–as interim head man.
Matt Luke’s interim tag will hurt Ole’ Miss.
Without a well-established head coach the Rebels will continue to backslide–losing highly-touted recruits and ground to rival Dan Mullen and Mississippi State. Speculation abounds about who’ll eventually stroll the Rebels’ sidelines.
Option 1: Les Miles Now, wouldn’t THIS be interesting! “The Mad Hatter” would take on his former school (LSU) while wearing the cap of an archrival. That would make “The Magnolia Bowl” spicier than a bowl of jambalaya.
Courtesy: outkickthecoverage.com
But it would also give Miles a road back to coaching prominence. He’s a pedigree for sure, winner of a national title and two SEC championships.
The Rebels need to let things simmer down over the next few weeks, but a move for Miles may very well be on the horizon.
Option 2: Lane Kiffin: Ole’ Miss has been a thorn in Alabama’s side. The Rebels won two straight in the series before watching a 24-3 second quarter lead slip en route to a 48-43 loss in Oxford last September. The 48-point outburst was partly the product of Lane Kiffen, who at that time was the Crimson Tide’s OC.
Courtesy: SB Nation
But Kiffin was later fired by head coach Nick Saban just a few days before the Tide played Clemson for the national title. Kiffin took refuge at Florida Atlantic–a place that’s a stepping stone to bigger and better things for any coach, especially for a young, ambitious coach, like Kiffin.
The Ole Miss situation has caught Kiffin’s attention. His Twitter activity shows that.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Kiffin bolt for Oxford. Remember that Kiffin left Tennessee for USC — just a year into his six-year contract with the Volunteers.
No doubt a move to Ole’ Miss would add another fan base (i.e., FAU) to the “Strongly Dislike Lane Kiffin” list, but I don’t think Kiffin cares much about that. A flashy coach with a bit of moxy might be just what Ole’ Miss needs to be led out of the dark.
Courtesy: zimbio.com
Option 3: Bobby Petrino This option may seem a bit farfetched. Petrino is currently head man of a Louisville Cardinals team that returns Heisman quarterback Lamar Jackson. Even though a move to Oxford would leave Jackson behind, at Ole’ Miss Petrino would inherit 5-star quarterback Shea Patterson.
A move would give Petrino a chance to build a SEC program into a national contender. Would that possibility be enough to entice him to leave Louisville? Well, Petrino has been lured away from Louisville before. In 2006 he accepted the head coaching job with the Atlanta Falcons.
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Reach CAMERON BROWN at cameronbrown647@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter @Cameron_Brown_3
