Ole Miss special teams coach Corey Batoon has taken the same job at Florida Atlantic under head coach Lane Kiffin.
Ole Miss coaches have faced a lot of criticism this season, but none more than Corey Batoon. Batoon was brought in by Hugh Freeze as a coach who could recruit the west coast, but the gamble never paid off.
Batoon is the second Ole Miss assistant to take a job under Kiffin. Chris Kiffin, Lane’s brother, took the defensive coordinator job at FAU.
Ole Miss had relegated Batoon to an off-the-field position after the 2016 season.
Ever since Batoon arrived in Oxford the special teams has sadly gotten worse and worse.
The loss of Mique Juarez to UCLA last winter was one of the main events that caused Rebel fans to turn on Batoon.
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While serving as the special teams coach, Batoon also coached the safeties unit for Ole Miss.
Using FootballStudyHall’s advanced statistics, one can see how the defensive backs struggled under Batoon.
The defensive backs for Ole Miss had a havoc rating of 5.4%, which was good for 95th in the nation.
Ole Miss has already hired Bradley Paveto from LSU to replace Batoon as the special teams coach. Paveto will also coach linebackers at Ole Miss.
Under Batoon, Ole Miss’ special teams struggled with returns. In 2016, the Rebels had a success rate of 30% on punts and 35.1% on kicks. Good for 120th and 100th in the country.
Batoon will be taking the same position with the Owls as he attempts to bring FAU on to the national scene.