If it’s quick, it better be easy.
That was the mindset Lane Kiffin had with his Florida Atlantic offense as he revitalized his head coaching resume during three seasons in Boca Raton. What he didn’t know was that he was unintentionally preparing for the transfer portal era before it ever appeared.
“When we went to FAU and we brought in Kendal Briles, we started adding the Baylor elements of the ultra-tempo,” Kiffin said. “We had started at Alabama to do fast stuff, but to go to the next level of it…To go that fast, you have to simplify what you do terminology wise because it’s part of how you get everybody to go fast. So, there’s not a lot of signals. There’s not a lot of verbiage in that. You actually made the system extremely easy without even knowing at the time we were doing it.”
Fast forward six years, and Kiffin is now trying to install a new offensive system at LSU with a slew of transfers and a quarterback who missed spring. First, teaching something new to that many players can take time. Second, no one is tempering expectations because the system is new.
With a $40 million roster, the expectation is to win. So, the learning curve better be a short one. It was for Trinidad Chambliss last season when the first-year quarterback piloted Ole Miss to within 20 seconds of the College Football Playoff Final.
“Shoot, Trinidad got to us in the summer,” Kiffin said. “When does that ever happen? That a summer quarterback comes in and can play that well and learn an offense. So, a lot of that has to do with how we’ve made the system, the terminology, and then now with the helmet-to-helmet communication, it’s taken it to even another level where it’s easier for someone to play early, especially at that position.”
Kiffin’s first Ole Miss team led the SEC in total offense back in 2020. It was a top 15 scoring offense in the country. That came with 2020s COVID restrictions on practice and meeting time. Of course, the huge transfer hauls of the last few years haven’t been an issue for the Rebels offensively,
Chambliss and Kewan Lacy were new to the program last year, and Jaxson Dart was a first-year player in 2022 when Ole Miss finished third in the conference in total offense.
LSU’s starting offense against Clemson could feature seven first-year transfers. If Winnie Watkins doesn’t nab a receiving spot, it’s likely that all 11 on the field will be new to the system.
The opener looms in four short weeks.
