As Lane Kiffin boarded his plane from Oxford, Miss., to Baton Rouge, La., on Sunday to take over LSU’s football program, he intimated that he wanted to coach the Ole Miss Rebels in the College Football Playoff.
In fact, Kiffin even suggested that Ole Miss football players asked athletic director Keith Carter to allow him to remain as head coach. Now, one Ole Miss player has come out refuting Kiffin’s claims.
What Did This Ole Miss Player Say About Lane Kiffin?
On Tuesday, Ole Miss offensive lineman Brycen Sanders went to X and posted not only his reply to Kiffin’s statement but also retweeted Kiffin’s parting message about leaving Ole Miss.
“Despite the team asking me to keep coaching”. I think everyone that was in that room would disagree https://t.co/p4g4qDR9XF
— Brycen Sanders (@BrycenSanders1) December 3, 2025
“‘Despite the team asking me to keep coaching.’ I think everyone that was in that room would disagree,” Sanders wrote. In Kiffin’s statement, he said he was hoping to complete “a historic six-year run” at Ole Miss but was denied by Carter.
“My request to do so was denied by Keith Carter despite the team also asking him to allow me to keep coaching them so they could maintain their high level of performance,” Kiffin wrote. “Unfortunately, that means Friday’s Egg Bowl was my last game coaching the Rebels.”
Kiffin left a school that he’d taken over and led to College Football Playoff-level prominence. When the new College Football Playoff rankings were released Tuesday night on ESPN, Ole Miss was ranked No. 6. That essentially secures the Rebels a spot in the College Football Playoff.
It should be noted, too, that Kiffin didn’t stick around to address his players directly. Carter and other Ole Miss officials did that on Sunday morning. Meanwhile, the Rebels didn’t waste time on a coaching search.
The school elevated Pete Golding, who served as Kiffin’s defensive coordinator, to permanent head coach. Golding had been Ole Miss’ defensive coordinator since 2023 and will lead the Rebels through their College Football Playoff run.
As for Kiffin, he left Ole Miss for LSU and a lucrative contract. He has a $91 million deal with LSU. However, the school is also still paying $54 million on a buyout for Brian Kelly and a $17 million buyout for Ed Orgeron.
So, Kiffin’s claims that his players wanted him to keep coaching at Ole Miss have been debunked. He can now focus solely on his LSU role, while Golding and Ole Miss have a chance to potentially host a College Football Playoff game in Oxford, Miss.