According to ESPN’s preseason FPI ratings, Ole Miss registered the most disappointing season in the SEC this season. Much of that had to do with the Rebels awful defense, which gave up nearly 2,000 rushing yards on the season before even making contact with ball carriers.

With Ole Miss supporters understandably upset, the school’s AD Ross Bjork felt the need to address the fan base Monday with an open letter posted on the school’s official website.

In the letter, Bjork notes that while the team failed to qualify for a bowl game this season, it did win a New Year’s Six Bowl last season. He also addressed the atrocious defense but pointed out that two seasons ago the Landsharks ranked as the No. 1 defense in the nation.

Among the big topics surrounding the football program, the uncertainty of the staff moving forward, the ongoing NCAA investigation and the newly renovated stadium, Bjork addressed each individually in his letter:

  1. Coaching Staff.  As Coach Freeze has said, we will evaluate all aspects of the team and make appropriate changes.  The search for a defensive coordinator is in full swing, and we have all of the resources to hire the best and brightest leader for our defense.
  2. NCAA Process.  We know how difficult and frustrating this case is for our program and the Ole Miss Family.  Rest assured, we have every resource at the table, but we will not make this a public campaign.  At the appropriate time, we will be able to share more about the process and the steps we have taken along the way.  We are trying to reach a conclusion, and no one wants to see the end more than I do.
  3. Vaught-Hemingway Experience.  As you know, Vaught-Hemingway was expanded and upgraded in nearly every area leading up to this season.  With any construction project of this size, there are growing pains, and we want to know about your experience in an organized way so we can make the experience better in 2017.  Please be on the lookout for the annual fan experience survey that will be emailed to all season ticket holders in the next two weeks.

Bjork’s words are nice, but until an excellent hire or two are made on the staff, and the NCAA investigation plays out in full, those two issues loom large over a program that just finished dead last five seasons into the current head coach’s tenure at the school. The actions taken in and around the Ole Miss program in the coming months should be fascinating to witness, but until then, the fan base will be left waiting an undetermined amount of time for answers that may or may not be coming anytime soon.