Lane Kiffin Reveals Why He Left Ole Miss For LSU

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It has been a crazy last couple of days for Lane Kiffin.

Kiffin helped the Ole Miss Rebels beat the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the Egg Bowl on Friday and likely clinched a spot for the team in the College Football Playoff. He then decided to take the LSU Tigers head coaching job over staying at Ole Miss on Sunday, prompting Ole Miss to promote defensive coordinator Pete Golding to head coach.

Golding will coach the rest of the 2025 season and beyond.

Before getting on a plane to Baton Rouge, Kiffin took some time to chat with ESPN’s Marty Smith and explained why he chose LSU over Ole Miss.

“This was really hard. My heart was here, but I talked to some mentors,” Kiffin said. “Coach Carroll, Coach Saban, and especially when Coach Carroll said, ‘Your dad would tell you to go, man. Take the shot. You’ve accomplished a lot here.’ I always hated how we only gave one year to Tennessee and left. I really hated that feeling of that, even though it was an exciting year. I think that we gave a lot to this program and to this city, and some of those historic wins in this stadium that we’ve ever had, and the best regular season in the history of the school. I feel proud of that part, but it just became time. I talked to God and told me it’s time to take a new step. It’s a new chapter.”

Kiffin was the head coach at Ole Miss for six seasons, compiling a 55-19 overall record. He led the Rebels to an 11-1 record during the 2025 regular season before accepting the LSU job.

Before his tenure with the Rebels, he was the head coach for three seasons with the Florida Atlantic Owls, finishing with a 27-13 record. He also coached the USC Trojans (28-15) for four seasons and the Tennessee Volunteers (7-6) for one season.

Kiffin will take over a Tigers program that underachieved during the regular season, finishing 7-5. They’ll play in a bowl game once the matchup gets confirmed.

Related: Ole Miss Suffers Recruiting Loss After Lane Kiffin News

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Dec 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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