Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin Hires Former Patriots Staffer to Challenge Alabama for SEC Title

Ole Miss Rebels HC Lane Kiffin has landed the position of assistant head coach of the New England Patriots. Yes, you heard that right. Joe Judge is now part of the Ole Miss squad, as Kiffin landed him on Wednesday to tick the box in his wishlist to expand his coaching tree with an experienced veteran.

Not only coaching, Judge also carries with himself an experience as a player that will help in breaking the ice with the players. However, Kiffin has a greater plan behind this recruit and revolves around giving Alabama Crimson Tide a tough call in claiming the SEC title. 

Judge’s stretch with the Patriots

Going by the reports presented by ESPN’s analyst, Chris Low, Judge “is expected to serve in a senior analyst role” under Kiffin. Meanwhile, the Ole Miss HC couldn’t keep his calm about Judge’s entry and shared it in his tweet. 

Judge has served the Patriots under the tutelage of Bill Belichick as the special team’s assistant. Later on, his talents led him to become the special teams coordinator and this stint continued between 2015 and 2019. His time at New England allowed Judge to field some of the most efficient special team units in the NFL. 

His journey with the Patriots got a break when he moved to the New York Giants as the head coach. However, after two seasons, he decided to return to Belichick’s squad in 2022, which crafted the Patriots offense. Now that the Judge has received this position offered by Kiffin, it has an interesting anecdote attached to it that helped the Ole Miss HC strategize this move. 

Nick Saban’s impact on Judge 

This post marks Judge’s first breakthrough in college football since he served as special teams assistant coach for Nick Saban’s Alabama between 2009 and 2011. Hence, he has worked and learned from the best of the best as far as coaches in professional football are concerned. Having worked with Saban side-by-side, Judge knows the intricacies that Saban followed to ensure victory for the Crimson Tide squad. 

Read More: Jim Harbaugh and Co. Reportedly Interested in Signing Former Bengals WR Free Agent Tyler Boyd Amid Marvin Harrison Jr. Buzz

Interestingly, there prevails an underlying current between Saban and Kiffin owing to the battle between Alabama and Ole Miss. As usual, last year the SEC clash was a disaster for Kiffin’s squad. The No. 13 Crimson Tide opened SEC play with a 24-10 victory over No.15 Rebels. The last time Ole Miss beat Alabama was back in 2015 when they picked up a charge of 43-37.   

With experience in the NFL and knowing Saban’s secret code to usher in victory, Judge evolves out to be a package in himself that might help Kiffin’s squad break the long-term hiatus in their win records. Will Judge’s experience working with legendary Nick Saban come in handy in beating Crimson Tide, who this season will be under the guidance of their new coach, Kalen DeBoer?   

Also Read: Following Shedeur Sanders’ Footsteps, CU Buffs’ O-Line Prodigy Extends Open Invitation to Players Before Spring Transfer Portal Window