OXFORD, Miss. — Lane Kiffin has seen his quarterback room tested, but the Ole Miss coach insists the Rebels have one of the best in college football.
Even as Trinidad Chambliss continues to guide No. 6 Ole Miss through a strong 8-1 start, Kiffin maintains faith in Austin Simmons, the sophomore who began the year as the starter.
Simmons has been “healthy enough to play” for weeks, according to Kiffin, but an ankle injury suffered against Kentucky and re-aggravated versus Arkansas has kept him on the sideline.
His foot remains heavily taped — and will stay that way all season.
Chambliss, a post-spring transfer from Division II Ferris State, has made the most of his opportunity.
The dual-threat quarterback has posted 2,458 total yards (2,023 passing, 435 rushing) with 16 total touchdowns and just two interceptions. He leads the SEC in yards per completion at 14.5.
Chambliss threw and ran for a touchdown in last week’s 30-14 win over South Carolina, finishing with 218 total yards. He’s completed 60.6 percent of his passes (140 of 231) and guided Ole Miss to a 6-1 record as a starter.
Kiffin praises Simmons, calls QB room ‘best in the country’
Despite Chambliss’ breakout season, Kiffin made it clear Simmons still has his full trust.
“I think we have the best quarterback room in the country,” Kiffin said Wednesday during the SEC Teleconference. “Austin’s a great quarterback and was playing really well for a first-time starter.
“He’d be having a great year if he were still in there. Have all the confidence in the world in him. I think we have two that are better than a lot of people’s No. 1.”
The Rebels, ranked sixth in the first College Football Playoff Rankings, are enjoying their third 8-1 start in the last four seasons. They host The Citadel on Saturday at noon on ESPN.
Home success and program consistency
Kiffin reflected on his six seasons in Oxford, emphasizing how consistent the Rebels have been, especially at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
“It’s been amazing,” Kiffin said. “Over five and a half years now since COVID. Like we said earlier, 31-3 at home. Third-best record in the SEC, including the two new teams.
“All of us would have signed up for that six years ago, five years ago.”
He added that the 2025 season feels special because of how much roster turnover the program endured.
“This year’s been kind of special because we only really return two starters on our whole team,” Kiffin said. “This should have been an average-type of season with all those replacements.
“I’m really pleased with how the guys have come together to be in this position to hopefully get to 9-1.”
Practice energy and home-game dominance
Kiffin said his players have responded well in practice leading up to The Citadel game.
“Just had a great practice,” he said. “Think guys are in a great frame of mind. Challenging them to play this like it’s the first game of the year, that first-game excitement. I think they’ve really answered that practice-wise.”
Kiffin also noted the home atmosphere Ole Miss fans have helped create.
“Hopefully our crowd shows up and we can stay undefeated at home,” he said. “It’s pretty cool. If you’re a junior here and gone to every home game, you’ve only seen one loss.”
Kiffin’s thoughts on playoff rankings and SEC peers
When asked about the first College Football Playoff rankings, Kiffin said the process seemed more balanced this year but still leaned heavily on win-loss records.
“It seemed to be a little bit better than before as far as strength of schedule and how hard the games have been,” he said. “Just thought, our sport, the record is such the No. 1 focus by far in their rankings, which is very different than basketball or baseball.”
He added that if some 11- or 12-ranked teams were excluded from a playoff despite their performance, that would point to a “systematic problem, not a committee problem.”
Kiffin also reacted to Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz sharing a post about Texas A&M’s strength of schedule not earning the top spot.
“I don’t know enough to know, except if you looked at those, obviously that wouldn’t be how you rank it,” Kiffin said. “I’m just trying to get to 9-1.”
Defense progress and coaching staff praise
Kiffin said Ole Miss’ defense has shown improvement in recent weeks, crediting defensive coordinator Pete Golding and his staff.
“We’ve been up-and-down,” Kiffin said. “We’ve played better as of late. We’re not anywhere near where last year’s was. But I think we’re improving. We’ve done a really good job of kind of scheming around the teams we’ve played.”
He called this “probably the best coaching job our assistants have done since we’ve been here,” particularly considering the team returned only two starters from last season.
Looking ahead
Kiffin avoided looking too far ahead to the off week before Mississippi State, saying his attention remains on The Citadel matchup.
“I’m just trying to focus on this week and getting this win,” he said.
The Rebels will try to improve to 9-1 and extend their home record under Kiffin to 32-3.
Key takeaways
- Lane Kiffin said Austin Simmons remains healthy but trusts Trinidad Chambliss to lead Ole Miss’ offense.
- Ole Miss sits at 8-1 and No. 6 in the College Football Playoff Rankings.
- Kiffin praised his staff’s coaching effort after returning only two starters from last season.
