Lane Kiffin named on ‘Bear’ Bryant Award watch list

Lane Kiffin has seen his Ole Miss side start the 2023 season well, with a record of 5-1 at the half way point. The head coach has been recognised today for his on and off field contributions, with a spot on the ‘Bear’ Bryant award watch list.

The Rebels head coach was one of 26 college football head coaches named on the ‘Bear’ Bryant watch list. Other coaches named on the list alongside Kiffin were Nick Saban, Lincoln Riley, Ryan Day and others.

The Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant Award is awarded to the Head Coach of the Year in January. The winner is recognised for his accomplishments on and off the field, making a great impact for their school and on his players.

Kiffin is in his 4th season with Ole Miss, hoping that 2023 will be his most successful yet. In 2021, Kiffin finished his second season in charge at Mississippi with a record of 11-3, losing in the bowl game to Baylor.

This season the team sit at 5-1, with their only blemish to the record coming against Alabama. They do have big wins over LSU and Arkansas. However, there are still plenty of obstacles left to manoeuvre.

It starts this week, on the road at Auburn. With big games against Texas A&M and current college football champions Georgia to come. It’s a tough second half to the season, but the SEC West is still in reach, if Ole Miss win out and other teams drop games.

The team started well last season, winning their first 7 games. However, they lost 5 of their last 6, including the Texas Bowl to Texas Tech.

This years team look stronger, with new players improving the roster and players from last season gaining a toughness from the end of season disappointment.

Despite the tough games ahead, the team are capable of making it to 10 wins again, with the possibility of 11 regular season wins. Georgia are winning games without looking exceptional. Could the Rebels catch them out in a few weeks time?

This could be a season full of awards and accolades for Ole Miss Football.