Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has added a familiar name to his staff with the addition of Kevin Smith as running backs coach.
The Miami, Fla., native served on Kiffin’s staff at Florida Atlantic from 2017-2019 and spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons with the Rebels before heading back to his hometown to be running backs coach for the Miami Hurricanes in 2022.
“Coach Smith helped lay the foundation for the championship program that we are building here at Ole Miss, and we look forward to welcoming him back to our staff,” Kiffin said. “His credentials as a running back and running backs coach speak for themselves. His return along with the return of Quinshon [Judkins] and our other backs builds some amazing excitement to see what levels can be reached at that position.”
Smith had an immediate impact in Oxford with the Southeastern Conference’s (SEC) leading rushing attack in 2020. Ole Miss averaged 210.6 yards per game on the ground to top the conference and rank 26th nationally. Rebel running backs scored 19 touchdowns over the 10-game season.
In his last season in Oxford, three of Smith’s running backs ranked in the top 25 of the SEC in total rushing yards at the end of the regular season – Jerrion Early, Snoop Conner and Henry Parrish. Ole Miss ranked No. 12 in the FBS in rushing yards in 2021, amassing 2,829 yards on the ground for an average of 217.6 per game.
Smith was hired to replace Marquel Blackwell who recently accepted the same position at Texas A&M.
