"I Absolutely Should Have Gone": Lane Kiffin Situation Makes Former Texas Coach Admit His Biggest Career Regret

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Former North Carolina head coach Mack Brown built a 16-year legacy at Texas, lifting the Longhorns to national prominence and a 2005 title. But looking back through the lens of Lane Kiffin’s 2025 move from Ole Miss to LSU, Brown admits he has one regret: he did not put his own career and family first when he had the chance.

Lane Kiffin called the decision “excruciating” but chose what was best for his dream and his family over loyalty to a playoff-bound program. For Brown, that moment highlighted a choice he wishes he had made differently when he chose to remain loyal to Texas.

“I think the biggest thing for me is that I had a couple opportunities to leave and go to another school while I was at this school [Texas],” said Brown during his July 1 appearance on THE STAMPEDE with Bob Ballou when asked if he would change anything in the past based on his present knowledge. “Because of loyalty, I decided not to. And it would have been best for me and my family. And fans have to understand we talked about the Lane Kiffin situation a lot. That was a very difficult situation.”

Kiffin faced pressure to stay at Ole Miss, where the program was poised for a title run. But he left anyway, and Brown now sees that decision as the right call. Kiffin prioritized what was best for him over loyalty. That pushed the former Ole Miss coach to face intense criticism and controversy. Many considered his $91M LSU contract the major factor behind his decision. Brown’s words better clarified the “why” part.

“Fans have to understand if it’s best for you in your profession to take another job, you’re going to take it. You’re going to get up and leave because it’s the best opportunity for you and your family. And then fans get mad at coaches for doing the same,” said Brown. “And so as I look back, there were a couple of situations where I absolutely should have gone to take another job.”

Joining Texas in the 1990s, Brown led the Longhorns toa national title victory in 2005. Following that, he garnered much attention from the coach-needy teams. Simply put, he had a chance to leave Austin. But his loyalty to the players and place barred him from doing that. Though in the long term it doesn’t work.

“It doesn’t work for you later because you stayed too long or you got into a position where you made a decision that would have been better for you at that time. And you made it based on emotion and feelings instead of what’s best,” said Brown.

In the modern era of NIL, when a coach’s move is directly linked to money, Brown put a full stop to it. Being a former head coach, he knows what it takes to leave a program. That’s why he advised young coaches: if there’s a best opportunity where you can win, you should go for it.

“Bobby Knight told me one time, ‘Don’t ever take a job for money because in three years, if you can’t win, you’re fired. You’re not going to have enough money for the rest of your life. You stay or go where you can win. And if you win, they’ll end up paying you enough,’” said Mack Brown.

Will Brown’s advice redefine coaches’ loyalty to their programs?

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