Then Kiffin, Dart, Jared Ivey met with the media and looked ahead to the Spring Ball, the Globe Bowl and the road to the 2024 campaign. Scroll through to see how they work to continue a winning culture within the Olivia & Archie Manning Athletics Performance Center.
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everything happens for a reason
The Rebels started practicing for a week, but were inactive during spring break, making for an unusual start to spring. However, this did not affect the team's performance and the team showed enough momentum to step up after the break.
“I was really pleased with their energy and focus today, which isn't always the case after a layoff like this,” Kiffin said. “I've played with a lot of players in different positions just to challenge the players. We don't have stats on all of our teams, just like our team is 0-0. We're best suited to win. It's about finding the best players and the best positions for them to play.”
Kiffin and his staff once again set out to blend a group of returnees with a group of highly touted freshmen from the transfer portal, junior colleges and high schools. But like a new plant sprouting outdoors, the Rebels will start with a clean slate in the eyes of their coaches.
“I don't care who plays, where they're from, what year they're in. We're going to play against the best players,” Kiffin said. “When you win, you feel really good, but when you lose, you feel really bad. I'm not going to play against players who were recruited here or have years of experience or because of what state they're from. Never. I say that to them because I think: They know that and I think that's part of why they come here.”
The professional mindset has helped attract elite talent and take the program to new heights, including a program-record 11 wins last season. But in the midst of a highly successful season, Kiffin found motivation in one of his two lowest points. 1 Georgia.
The loss in Athens was a wake-up call for Kiffin and his staff. Before the season, Kiffin declared the 2023 roster to be the most talented since coming to Oxford. Then, on November 11th, he learned that he was still not good enough to defeat the strongest of the strongest. But it also motivated him and his staff to add more talent in the offseason.
“I try to remind my players of how much I hate losing and that feeling at Georgia and teach my players that things happen for a reason. There's always good in the bad.” Kiffin said. “And the good thing that came out of that game, you remember sitting there afterward and feeling like, oh, we need to get more players, because they didn't look like us in that game. “And our offensive line. If you go out there and look at it, there's a clear difference between the size of our offensive line and the front seven of our defense. You can see that. I think that contributed to the recruiting in the portal and that feeling we had that game against Georgia.” ”
leave a legacy
Dart also liked the composition of the team and their energy when they took the field after Tuesday's layoff.
“It felt great to be back on the field,” Dart said. “There was a lot of energy there today and it's very positive to see the players come back with a lot of energy. Considering the break, the way we executed was at a very high level. I really like the way this team is looking. ”
In his final season at Oxford, Dart has taken on an even more leadership role. It started during the season when he led his teammates in making a collective decision to return in 2024. That continued into the offseason, when he helped attract the top transfer portal class in the country. And now that's carried over to the training ground, where he's trying to get the best out of each of his team-mates for the upcoming campaign.
“We knew the potential of what we could do here and what the future looked like. As a team, we knew how many returning players we had here. “We felt that leaving a legacy would be the best option,” Darts said. “We want to continue to build a legacy and do something that people will remember and that people can be really proud of.” That's what I think.”
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