Lane Kiffin Takes Subtle Jab At Miami's Mass Exodus While Poaching Hurricanes' Running Backs Coach

Miami football's mass coaching exodus is set to continue. Ole Miss is finalizing a deal with Hurricanes running backs coach Kevin Smith to return to Oxford and Lane Kiffin is thrilled.

The 47-year-old head coach of the Rebels took a subtle jab at The U and head coach Mario Cristobal. Unless you speak Kiffin, you might have missed it.

On Monday afternoon, Ole Miss running backs coach Marquel Blackwell left for the same job at Texas A&M. That left Kiffin with an opening, so he turned to a familiar face.

Smith, a consensus All-American at Central Florida in 2007, is one of the greatest rushers in college football history, even if he doesn't get the respect he deserves. He ran for 2,567 yards and 29 touchdowns as a junior with the Knights before being drafted by the Lions in the third round.

After four years in Detroit and one offseason in Canada, Smith returned to Florida and got his start as a coach with his alma mater. Kiffin later hired him as running backs coach at FAU, who he followed to Mississippi in 2020 after three years with the Owls.

However, after two seasons in the SEC, Smith left Ole Miss for Miami in 2022. But his time in Coral Gables will not last long.

Lane Kiffin is bringing him back!

Smith is set to return to the Rebels after one year with the Hurricanes to fill the vacancy left by Blackwell, who took the job after Smith went to the ACC. 24K, as they call him, will soon be back in Oxford.

Smith's departure from Miami marks the fifth assistant to leave the program after a disappointing 5-7 season in 2022 that included a loss to Middle Tennessee State. Such significant turnover is extremely unusual for a program like The U, especially with a first-year coach.

About an hour before the news of Smith's imminent move, Kiffin alluded to the hire and tweeted about Charlie Strong's decision to leave Miami. It may have seen like he was just tweeting out a random link, but it had an underlying meaning.

Kiffin is always one step ahead. He is always playing mind games. He is always keeping the internet on its collective toes.

You just have to know what he's saying, which is typically a puzzle in itself.