Patrick Willis is all aboard the Lane Train where the Ole Miss Rebels are concerned.
Willis was at Ole Miss from 2003-2006 with his only bowl appearance coming in his freshman season when Eli Manning helped lead the Rebels to a 10-3 record and win in the Cotton Bowl. Even though the last three seasons of Willis' career weren't the best for the Rebels on the field, he has been cemented as one of the best to ever wear the red and blue, and he had a productive NFL career after his time in Oxford.
The linebacker was a two-time All-American at Ole Miss as well as SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2006 before spending his entire NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers who selected him with the 11th overall pick in the 2007 Draft.
Now that his professional career has been over since 2014, Willis has been able to spend more time in Oxford, and he recently spoke about the trajectory of the Ole Miss program under third-year head coach Lane Kiffin.
"I've been able to follow Ole Miss and go back for a few of games over the last couple of seasons," Willis said. "To see Lane do what he's done has been tremendous. I don't know him as a coach, but the vibe he gives off, I'm like, 'Man, I like that vibe.'
"When you've got a team that believes in their coaches and want to do everything that they can to see the coach succeed, that's an amazing feeling. I think they're going to do really well."
The Rebels are coming off one of the best seasons in school history in 2021, finishing 10-3 with a berth in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. They will open the 2022 season at home against Troy on Sept. 3.
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