Lane Kiffin is already getting some drama going this offseason with other SEC coaches
The start of the 2023 season is still five months away, but Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin is making sure the offseason will have plenty of excitement. On Wednesday morning, Kiffin took to Twitter to highlight some recent comments made by Texas A&M Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher. Fisher, who is facing a […]
The start of the 2023 season is still five months away, but Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin is making sure the offseason will have plenty of excitement.
On Wednesday morning, Kiffin took to Twitter to highlight some recent comments made by Texas A&M Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher.
Fisher, who is facing a significant amount of criticism after going 5-7 last season and failing to reach a bowl game in his fifth season at Texas A&M, said recently that everyone is "running the same plays" in college football.
Fisher suggested that success in college football has nothing to do with scheme, but instead, it's all about execution.
“It’s not scheme,” said Fisher. “It’s execution.”
“Everybody does the same thing. There’s not a hill of beans between anybody, as far as what goes on.”
Fisher isn't totally wrong — if execution isn't there, success won't be there, either.
But scheme, of course, absolutely matters. And everyone isn't "running the same plays" as Fisher suggested. Offensively, there are wildly different approaches in the SEC from teams. Tennessee and Ole Miss, for example, utilize tempo.
The Vols also split their receivers out extremely wide, which creates a much different look than a traditional offense typically presents. Kentucky, on the other hand, uses more of a Pro-Style offense that eats clock. Georgia also uses more of a Pro-Style offense. Alabama is expected to go with a more old-school approach under new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees this season, too.
Kiffin sent a tweet on Wednesday questioning Fisher's comments (Kiffin also tagged Georgia head coach Kiby Smart in the tweet).
If scheme doesn't matter, I'm not sure why Fisher felt the need this offseason to hire Bobby Petrino as his offensive coordinator (Fisher is also reportedly handing over play-calling duties to Petrino). If it's just execution, then maybe Texas A&M should just…coach better? I mean, otherwise, using Fisher's logic, the scheme that Petrino brings to College Station won't have any impact on Texas A&M's offense.
Kiffin knows as well as anyone that evolving — especially on the offensive side of the ball — is one of the most important things a program can do if it wants to be successful on an annual basis.
Maybe that's why Fisher's career is trending in the wrong direction. Perhaps it's time for the former national championship-winning head coach to take a look in the mirror. After all, it's been a decade since Fisher hoisted the BCS trophy over his head. A lot has changed in the last 10 years. Fisher's approach, however, isn't among those changes.
