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The Ole Miss football team has lost two of its last three games following an impressive 4-0 start. Those recent hiccups have put a dent in the Rebels’ College Football Playoff chances.
As the team struggles in the win-loss column, donors are demanding questions about how their NIL contributions are being used.
Ole Miss brought in a great deal of notable talent in the transfer portal this offseason while also holding onto valuable players at key positions. Much of that recruiting success came due to an added emphasis on player payment.
Jaxson Dart landed a ground-breaking deal with a private jet company after returning for his senior season. SEC stars Juice Wells and Walter Nolen, meanwhile, bailed on their prior programs to grab a bit of that ‘Sip money.
A number of others followed suit.
In all, the Rebs brought in 25 new players in the nation’s No. 1 rated transfer class to add to an 11-win roster from the year prior. A massive NIL investment was made, but now, donors are beginning to question leadership.
Ole Miss fell to LSU on Saturday despite trailing for 0:00 in the game. The Tigers scored on the final play of overtime to pull off the come-from-behind win.
This, coming two weeks after the Rebels lost to Kentucky.
Lane Kiffin’s decision making in the losses has been a talking point.
In the latest matchup, fans wondered why running back Ulysses Bentley, who landed a shiny new NIL deal himself, didn’t play more despite being productive against LSU.
Across 10 carries, he totaled 107 yards and a touchdown. Still, he took a backseat to Henry Parrish.
Juice Wells’ usage has also been criticized. The wideout continues to see targets despite recording goose eggs in the reception column in both Ole Miss losses.
Donors are now demanding answers! Lane Kiffin was asked about the topic after his team’s most recent outing.
“Do I feel like the fans deserve an explanation because of NIL (Grove Collective members)? I don’t know. I don’t know if I’ve thought of that.
“That’s probably a good question. I’m not sure of that. I probably should’ve thought of that before. I don’t know that answer. ‘Do they deserve an explanation?’ I don’t know that.”
-Lane Kiffin
Do donors deserve an explanation when it comes to depth chart and playing time decisions? Coaching and fandom are two very different things.
Then again, they’re the ones that made Kiffin’s roster a reality.
The head coach doesn’t know the answer, but he believes it’s worth discussing. As fans continue to pour their hard-earned cash into the football team’s success, they’ll certainly want a seat at the table.