LSU coach Lane Kiffin was the most coveted candidate in the furious coaching carousel that gripped college football last season, and despite orchestrating a historic season for the Ole Miss Rebels, his future remained uncertain as the postseason beckoned. Ultimately, Kiffin chose to ignore the Florida Gators job offer in favor of LSU.
Kiffin’s exit from Oxford was messy, and Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter declined the charismatic coach’s plea to coach the Rebels in the College Football Playoff, closing the door on his acrimonious $91 million, seven-year switch to LSU.
Lane Kiffin Explains His Controversial Departure from Ole Miss
Kiffin’s Ole Miss exit just before the College Football Playoff created widespread discourse about his loyalty among fans and analysts all over the country. Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding was subsequently elevated to the head coaching position for the Rebels’ first foray into the playoff.
During an exclusive interview with Vanity Fair on Monday, Kiffin defended his contentious move from Ole Miss to LSU, listing the benefits he brought to the institution during his six-year tenure in Oxford.
“Did you make the university tons of money? Are out-of-state applications way up?” Kiffin said. “Did the city make tons of money, businesses, real estate? I mean, this is not a normal big city. This is Oxford, Mississippi. Are you letting down these fans, you know, Oxford, that’s been so good to you?
“No coach I talked to at any point ever said, ‘stay there.’ You got one life. People do it all the time. Players and free agency, coaches, magazines, people change. It’s your story. That’s why I did okay with it because I’m like, man, it’s my story. And I choose for this to be the next chapter.”
Despite his headline-grabbing departure from Ole Miss, Kiffin allowed offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., who had followed him to Baton Rouge, to return to Oxford to coach the Rebels during the playoffs.
Kiffin turned the Rebels into a major contender after being appointed the program’s head coach after a stint as the Florida Atlantic Owls coach. He led Ole Miss to four double-digit win seasons and an impressive 55-19 overall record in six seasons.
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In an odd twist of fate, Kiffin will return to Oxford with LSU to face off against Golding’s Ole Miss in a high-powered, marquee SEC clash on Sept. 19 in a game that could determine the championship and College Football Playoff fates of both teams.
