Lose a recruit to Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin at your own risk.
On Saturday morning, news emerged that Florida quarterback recruit Austin Simmons had flipped his commitment to the Rebels—reclassifying from the class of 2025 to the class of ’23 accordingly.
It was a loss for the Gators and a substantial get for Kiffin and Ole Miss on the heels of an 8-5 season. However, more importantly, it provided Kiffin a chance to clown Florida on Twitter.
A mere 15 minutes after news broke that Simmons had flipped, Kiffin tweeted a screenshot of Tom Petty's profile page on Spotify. "Great weekend vibes in Oxford," he wrote alongside music note emojis.
🎶 🎶 great weekend vibes in Oxford! pic.twitter.com/rg5OAHX6mx
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) June 17, 2023
Petty was born in Gainesville, Fla. in 1961 and raised in its Duckpond district. The University of Florida awarded him a posthumous Ph.D. in 2021, and his song “I Won’t Back Down” is sung after the third quarter at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Thanks to the SEC's reformed schedule, the Gators will get their shot at revenge in 2024 in Gainesville.
