What happened to Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss? Ex-Rebels coach left for LSU

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Mississippi football finds itself one win away from competing for its first-ever College Football Playoff title on Thursday, Jan. 8 when it meets up with No. 10 Miami in the CFP Fiesta Bowl semifinal inside State Farm Stadium in Arizona.

It’s a title-hopeful run for the Rebels that has come against the odds, largely given the increased outside noise that surrounded the program since the final week of the regular season.

Mississippi’s resume in the Pete Golding era features a thrilling upset over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, a feat achieved without the architect behind the roster: Lane Kiffin.

REQUIRED READING: Lane Kiffin’s foolish pride blinded him to what he had at Ole Miss

The ex-Ole Miss coach has continued to be vocal on social media over the Rebels’ run from afar after bolting for LSU at the end of November. He’s also benefited from Ole Miss’ two CFP wins against Tulane and Georgia, as LSU is paying his postseason bonuses from his Ole Miss contract.

At the same time, Kiffin — a member of the Nick Saban coaching tree — also has been cursed out and roasted by Ole Miss fans on social media, as the Rebels’ CFP run has served to be a “what could have been” moment for Kiffin and the legacy he built in Oxford.

That all said, Here’s what a revisit on Kiffin’s exit from Ole Miss to LSU:

What happened with Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss?

Kiffin decided on Sunday, Nov. 30 that after six seasons at Ole Miss, he was moving within the Southeastern Conference and taking the head coaching position at LSU, the other side of the Magnolia Bowl.

Why did Lane Kiffin leave Ole Miss?

Kiffin’s departure for LSU came after several weeks of speculation on whether he would leave Ole Miss — where he built the Rebels program into one of the nation’s best — or not. He had been linked to both the LSU and Florida openings, though it was later reported that Florida State was also in the sweepstakes.

Following Ole Miss’ win over Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl on Friday, Nov. 28, Kiffin told ESPN’s Taylor McGregor that he had not come to a decision, which Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter mentioned would come on Saturday, Nov. 29.

“No, I haven’t (made a decision). I’ve gotta lot of praying to do to figure it out tomorrow,” Kiffin said on ESPN.

The decision from Kiffin took a bit longer than expected. It ultimately came on Nov. 30 after Kiffin met with Ole Miss administrators, including the university’s Chancellor, for a sustained amount of time on Nov. 29. What delayed the news appeared to be Kiffin’s request to coach the Rebels in the CFP, which was ultimately not met by Ole Miss.

“(Kiffin) had an opportunity to coach in the playoff, and that would have been to stay at Ole Miss, and he chose not to do that,” Carter told ESPN. “That’s his choice, and I respect that choice. But then we had to make a choice, and talking with the team and spending time with them, I think they know they need coaches to make a playoff run.

“I think they were very concerned about their position coaches and those types of things. But I think they understood when someone takes a job at another place — and not only another place but one of our rivals and a team that will be playing in our stadium next year — I think that that’s something that nobody feels comfortable with.”

He announced he was leaving for LSU in a post on X, and shortly after, greeted by fans at the Oxford airport, where he claimed fans were trying to run “him off the road.” The Mississippi Department of Public Safety later denied those allegations.

“After a lot of prayer and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision to accept the head coaching position at LSU,” Kiffin said in a statement posted on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account. “… While I am looking forward to a new start with a unique opportunity at LSU, I will forever cherish the incredible six years I spent at Ole Miss and will be rooting hard for the team to complete their mission and bring a championship to Oxford.”

So, what led Kiffin to bolt from Ole Miss to LSU? He answered it with three words in his introductory news conference at LSU: LSU was “different.”

“This place is different. Having watched this place for a long time and from the other sideline. This place is different, and that’s why we’re here,” Kiffin said.

Lane Kiffin record at Ole Miss

In his six seasons at Ole Miss, Kiffin led the Rebels to a 55-19 overall record while turning the Rebels into one of the best programs in the SEC.

Here’s a year-by-year breakdown on how Ole Miss fared under Kiffin:

  • 2020: 5-5
  • 2021: 10-3 (Sugar Bowl)
  • 2022: 8-5 (Texas Bowl)
  • 2023: 11-2 (Peach Bowl)
  • 2024: 10-3 (Gator Bowl)
  • 2025: 11-1

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What happened to Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss? Ex-Rebels coach missing CFP run

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