What Lane Kiffin said about coaching Ole Miss until season ends, Egg Bowl, home CFP game
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OXFORD − Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin and the Rebels are one win away from locking up the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance.
Despite the possibility of leaving to coach at LSU or Florida, Kiffin said he values finishing coaching Ole Miss through the end of the 2025 season.
“Very important,” Kiffin said Nov. 24 at his weekly news conference. “I’ve never thought of anything different than that.”
The No. 6 Rebels (10-1, 6-1 SEC) are preparing for the Egg Bowl. Ole Miss plays at Mississippi State (5-6, 1-6 SEC) on Nov. 28 (11 a.m. ABC).
Kiffin said he did not want to answer job-related questions in his press conference previewing the game. He held firm, deflecting questions on his meeting with Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter and whether a decision has been made.
Carter issued a press release Nov. 21 that said an announcement on Kiffin’s future is expected Nov. 29, the day after the Egg Bowl.
Would Carter allow Kiffin to coach in the playoffs if he is headed to Florida or LSU? If the Rebels go on a deep run under Kiffin and then he leaves, it could hurt Ole Miss in hiring a new coach, as well as in signing recruits and transfer portal players.
The Rebels are No. 6 in the latest CFP rankings. The CFP begins Dec. 19-20 and runs through Jan. 19.
What Lane Kiffin said about Egg Bowl rivalry, beating Mississippi State
Kiffin said Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby has done a great job improving the Bulldogs and making them competitive. MSU is one win away from reaching bowl eligibility after going 2-10 in Lebby’s first season.
Kiffin invited former Ole Miss quarterback Tom Luke to talk to his players about the Egg Bowl. Kiffin wanted to emphasize the importance of keeping the Egg Bowl trophy in Oxford.
Kiffin said Luke, who is now an associate AD for Ole Miss, fired the team up with a line that he could be gifted a brand-new car, but that Luke wouldn’t accept it if it was maroon.
“I think it’s so critical nowadays, because this isn’t the old days where 75% of our roster grew up in Mississippi and from here, it’s really critical for guys,” Kiffin said. “With half of our room not having played in these games, and almost nobody in our room having played in it two years ago, it’s really critical for them to hear that and hear the passion Tom has for the rivalry.”
What would a home CFP game mean for Ole Miss, Oxford
Kiffin had high praise for the notion of landing a home game in the CFP.
“That would be huge,” Kiffin said. “Somebody said, and I don’t know if it’s true, that it would be the biggest sporting event in the history of Mississippi. That’s a pretty big statement. I actually asked Keith (Carter) that the other day. He said that would be true.”
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Lane Kiffin on finishing Ole Miss season despite LSU, Florida rumors
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