n, loyalty and the belief that a coach truly means it when he says he is committed to a program. For six years, Lane Kiffin asked Ole Miss fans, players and the Oxford community to trust him and lock into the program he was building. And they did. They filled Vaught-Hemingway, supported his bold personality and believed him when he said he wanted to create something lasting in Oxford. That is why his choice to leave for LSU, just as Ole Miss was on the doorstep of the College Football Playoff, is so disappointing and brings justified frustration.
Kiffin spent six seasons transforming the Rebels from a respectable SEC team into a serious national contender. He improved recruiting, modernized the offense and built a culture strong enough to deliver an 11–1 season and a playoff spot. This kind of growth doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years of trust and belief from a locker room. This team gave him everything he asked for. Then, just days after the most significant Egg Bowl win in recent memory, he chose to walk away.
After Kiffin announced he will depart from Ole Miss, he asked Athletic Director Keith Carter if he could continue to coach the team during the College Football Playoff while also having the duties of being the head coach at the Rebels’ in conference rival LSU. Carter declined the offer, as he should have, and Kiffin threatened to take the entirety of the Ole Miss staff with him to LSU. Kiffin then went to social media saying how it was not his selfish desire to coach in the playoffs, but it was the team that wanted him to stay. This statement was soon proved false as Ole Miss players fled to social media to bring the truth to light. Star defensive player Suntarine Perkins posted “That was not the message you said in the meeting room.” Offensive lineman Brycen Sanders added to Perkins’ statement with “I think everyone that was in that room would disagree” referencing Kiffin’s claim that the players wanted him to stay and coach.
Kiffin is no stranger to a messy exit as he left Tennessee, Alabama and the Raiders on bad terms. Weeks into the season, ESPN released a documentary titled “The Many Lives of Lane Kiffin” where Kiffin explained how, because of Oxford, Miss., he had changed from his past ways. Leaving Ole Miss the way he did three weeks ago proved that this statement was also not true. Kiffin overflowed social media with lies, while ‘trolling’ Rebel fans with countless posts claiming Oxford was his home and would be his home in the coming years. Lane Kiffin did not just leave Ole Miss, he attempted to ruin Ole Miss in the process, showing the CFB world that he has not changed. It raises the question of: How long until he does this again?
