Lane Kiffin compares Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss to one-time Super Bowl champion
The two comps the Rebels head coach tossed out are quite interesting.
After Saturday’s thrilling 41-35 win over Arkansas, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin addressed the media. One member asked the Rebels’ coach if quarterback Trinidad Chambliss reminded him of anyone he has coached before or seen.
The answer he gave was both: someone he’s coached before and someone he has watched from afar.
“They just said that on the radio. There’s a lot, same jersey number. There’s a lot of Blake Simms in there, the quick feet, similar body structure and size, and the ability to release the ball really well for not a really tall guy and fine windows. There’s a lot of Blake Simms in there,” Kiffin said. “I’m not saying he’s Russell Wilson, don’t get me wrong, but there’s some similarities in that kind of in the it factor and how he moves and holds himself, you know, that I’ve kind of said that since he’s gotten here.”
It was one game, but it’s hard to ignore the impact Trinidad Chambliss had on the team.
Many may not have seen it but after the clock hit zero, some members of the Ole Miss team ran to Chambliss and surrounded him – celebrating the victory. Sure it could be nothing and just some players who were happy about winning a conference game. It could also be a statement for just how hard Chambliss worked to get to where he is now.
Kiffin gave a shout out to his personnel department and the staff who made it possible.
“Yeah, I think first off on that note, credit to our personnel department and Billy Glasscock, our GM. How we structure that, cuz it’s hard to find people in D2, you know? So we scour a lot of players, a lot of different things, and just like the NFL does the draft. That’s how we do it here, and Deuce is a really good example, Wake Forest. He didn’t have really big numbers there and found him and now he’s done some great things for us. So it’s just a lot of research that goes into it in off season. It’s how college football has changed, in my opinion, and should be run more like an NFL department. That’s why we put resources, which Keith’s allowed us to, in our personnel department like an NFL system. So some people might not think that’s a big deal, or why are you spending money in your personnel department? We have NFL people in there. Well, you liked it when guys were making those plays at the end of the game. So good job for those guys.”
On Sunday’s Zoom call, Lane Kiffin talked about how impressed he was with Trinidad Chambliss in his first start.
“The TV copy plays on the TVs here the next day, always. So I think just kind of walking by that and even though I’m down there with him, just seeing how composed he was and how confident he looked,” Kiffin said. “Like, you’re watching it on TV, I thought I’d be like, ‘Man, this guy’s a veteran starter here in the SEC.’ Just thought he was really composed in the moment and he played like that, too.”
Kiffin later credited his offensive coordinator, Charlie Weis Jr., for the double game plan week. The staff was unsure if Austin Simmons would play or it would be Chambliss who would start. So the Ole Miss coaches had to work after hours on the prep work.
“Charlie does a great job,” Kiffin said. “I know a lot of people around here don’t think that. He takes a lot of criticism and heat, but I don’t really understand that. Last year, he coached Jaxson Dart to the first round (of the NFL Draft) and All-SEC quarterback and set a lot of records and did a great job last night with a new quarterback and really called a very different offense than what we had shown the first couple of games.”
