“Beyond wrong!!!” - Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin calls out NCAA for trying to get rid of walk-ons

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has criticized the NCAA for considering the elimination of walk-ons from college football. He shared a post from On3 on social media, expressing his disapproval.

The NCAA's proposal aims to reduce roster sizes from 115–120 players to 85–95 to allocate more scholarships and reduce costs. While FBS football teams are currently limited to 85 scholarships, major programs such as Clemson have 20–30 walk-ons on top of that. However, walk-ons still incur costs for programs related to travel, equipment, and Alston payments.

In response to On3 asking fans who they thought was the greatest college football walk-on of all time, Kiffin took to his Instagram stories to express his disagreement with the NCAA's decision, writing:

"They are trying to get rid of walk-ons as we speak. Beyond wrong @ncaa."

Screenshot, via Instagram

This move is part of the NCAA's efforts to cut costs as colleges consider revenue sharing with student-athletes. If an agreement is reached, schools would need to pay an additional $20-$30 million annually.

Meanwhile, during Kiffin's four-year tenure, the team faced tough opponents, including Georgia, Alabama, Penn State, LSU, and Jayden Daniels. Despite these challenges, they achieved the first 11-win season in school history, taking on 13 teams that finished with nine wins or more.

The football schedule for the 2024 Ole Miss Rebels season

On Aug. 31, the Rebels will be playing against Furman at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+/SECN+. Next, on Sept. 7, they are up against Middle Tennessee at 3:15 p.m. CT on SECN. Following that, on Sept. 14, they will be playing at Wake Forest at 5:30 p.m. CT on CW.

The home game against Georgia Southern on Sept. 21 will be airing on SEC Network at 6:45 p.m. Additionally, their SEC opener against Kentucky on Sept. 28 is scheduled for an 11 a.m. CT kick on either ABC or ESPN.

Subsequent matches include Oct. 5 at South Carolina (Flex - TBA), Oct. 12 at LSU (Night - TBA), Oct. 26 vs. Oklahoma (Early - TBA), Nov. 2 at Arkansas (Early - TBA), Nov. 9 vs. Georgia (Flex - TBA), and Nov. 23 at Florida (11 a.m. CT - ABC or ESPN).

It's been reported that Ole Miss will once again have the exclusive time slot for the Egg Bowl matchup with Mississippi State. The game has been shifted from Thanksgiving Day to Black Friday at 2:30 p.m. CT.