Message boards explode due to coaching search at Ole Miss

Saturday night's 31-3 loss to Mississippi State not only ended a dismal season for the Ole Miss football program, but it also turned the attention towards the search for a new head football coach for the Rebels.

Ole Miss decided head coach Houston Nutt would not be retained following the season after an embarrassing 30-13 loss at Kentucky, and Saturday's loss in the Egg Bowl officially put an end on the Houston Nutt era in Oxford.

Despite a lackluster season, there is a buzz around the Rebel fan base as differing opinions and rumors are surfacing all over the Internet, especially on fan message boards.

“Obviously, anytime there’s change there’s going to be excitement – some good, some bad," owner of the Ole Miss Spirit Chuck Rounsaville said. "Everybody wants to rehash what went wrong. A lot of people want to just look forward. The traffic on the site is way up.”

The Ole Miss Spirit is a Scout.com affiliated fan message board that does everything they can to give the fans updated news on the coaching search. Rounsaville started the business in 1982, which first released a paper every two weeks before switching to the magazines they now publish, and it now has thousands of subscribers. 

As the Internet became more popular, Rounsaville created the message boards for fans to have open discussions about anything relating to Ole Miss sports. His goal is to let the fans know exactly what is going on as much as possible.

“There are plusses and minuses to it," Rounsaville said. "It’s a heck of responsibility, but for (editor) Jeff Roberson, (recruiting specialist) Yancy Porter, (writer) Ben Garrett and myself, it’s a labor of love. It’s not like it’s a burden.”

Roberson said all the guys at the Ole Miss Spirit spend around 16 hours a day on the boards to monitor what is being said and answer any questions fans may have. And with a coaching search going on, the traffic on the site picks up daily.

“Since the announcement (of Nutt being let go), it’s picked up a lot of steam," Roberson said. "A lot of people are on there. Everybody’s got their opinions now that the decisions have been made to bring new people on board for athletic director and a football coach. People throw around a lot of names, especially for football coach because that’s what more people are familiar with. There’s a long list, and everybody’s got their guy. We’ve heard a lot and seen a lot. (The message boards) are very active.”

While it is an exciting time for Ole Miss football, it is also a stressful one for everyone involved. Avid fans want to know everything that is going on, but sometimes there is nothing else to report, but Rounsaville loves that attitude and does everything he can to give the fans what they want.

“You keep digging," he said. "You keep trying to find things and giving every tidbit you can uncover. Just feed the beast. The Internet is a beast. It’s 24/7. We’re kind of used to that pace. We can’t always give the exact answers we want to because we don’t know, but it’s not because we’re not in there digging trying to find out.”