Changes were made that frankly were inevitable. We can bicker about the "why" all we want but it really does no good. What matters from here is where we go next. I believe the following is right around the corner:
Derrick Nix gets hired as our next Offensive Coordinator and RB coach. His job will be recruiting more than anything but he brings legitimate experience. His hometown is Attalla, AL. Nix has coached running backs at Southern Miss, was a quality control coach for the Atlanta Falcons, then running backs for Ole Miss from 2008-19, receivers at Ole Miss 2020-21, and is currently an Assistant HC and receivers coach at Ole Miss. Kiffin values him highly.
Chris Kiffin gets hired as our next Defensive Coordinator after the Texans finish their playoff run. He was an assistant at Idaho from 2005-06, grad assistant at Ole Miss in 2007, offensive quality control assistant at Nebraska 2008-09, defensive administrative assistant at USC in 2010, DL coach at Arkansas State in 2011, DL coach and recruiting coordinator at Ole Miss 2012-16, FAU DC and LB coach at FAU in 2017, pass rush specialist at the 49ers 2018-19, Cleveland Browns DL coach 2020-22, and Texans LB coach 2023-present. He is considered a great recruiter and has a lot of experience in various spots on the defensive side. He and Kelly will be a great recruiting duo.
Second Wave of the Portal - usually the second wave of the portal is a small one. I think we see a lot more names than usual with such huge and numerous coaching changes still occurring. Alabama players are going to be very interesting to watch if they hire DeBoer I expect they might.
Second Exodus of the Portal - it gives and it takes. We are going to have some new faces on the staff and that always leads to departures. We still have some fat to trim on the roster in my opinion.
Position-wise here are some of my brief thoughts... take them or leave them
Quarterback - we are not confident in Thorne moving forward. There is some cautious optimism that Hank Brown and Walker White could take the reigns. If a portal quarterback becomes available in the next wave we could be very aggressive in making it happen.
Running Back - Likely taking two high school kids next cycle. We look good right now. Battie staying is nice.
Wide Receiver - I see us still taking one more portal receiver.
Tight End - we are set here but man we are top-heavy with older guys. I could see us taking at least one high school guy and one transfer next year.
Offensive Line - Percy Lewis (Mississippi State) and two tough high school kids help. We still probably need another portal guy.
Defensive Line - Trill Carter is a subtle but nice pickup. Gage Keys is someone I'm interested in seeing more from. Might have another addition or two. The interior of the DL is my biggest concern; last year we allowed inside runs for big gains consistently.
Edge - I think we're relying on the young guys here.
Linebackers - we have a lot of guys back but also have a lot of young dudes on board and key transfer addition. I'm curious if the highly-rated young guys can usurp the veterans. I won't name names but there are some guys I would love to not see on the field again lol.
Defensive Backs - man did they look bad in the Iron Bowl and the bowl game. Kelly might be a big help here and Crime Dog getting back some autonomy could be a help. We generated more interceptions than we have in a while but there were a number of issues that allowed teams like NMSU to march all over us.
I may make another long thread just tracking additions/subtractions.