Ole Miss let Randy Clements go after the conclusion of spring practice. After a month of or so of deliberation, the Rebels have announced the hiring of former Alabama staffer and Gardner Webb run game coordinator and offensive line coach Jake Thornton as the new guy in charge of the big uglies, as first reported by Matt Zenitz.
As a player, Thornton started his career at Division II Carson-Newman before transferring to Western Carolina in 2012. He had 33-consecutive starts and helped the Catamounts to consecutive seven-win seasons and second-place finishes in the Southern Conference. Thornton was named first-team All-SoCon in 2014 and second-team All-SoCon in 2015.