Lane Kiffin ultimately left the Ole Miss Rebels to become the head coach at the LSU Tigers on Sunday. The Rebels were enjoying a historic season this year with an 11-1 record, with their only 43-35 loss coming against Georgia in October.
Many thought Kiffin might not leave the Rebels, given their historic season, but he actually did, and it will remain one of the biggest coaching carousels in college football’s 2025 season.
SEC Analyst Cautions LSU Fans About Lane Kiffin’s True Loyalty After Ole Miss Exit
Ole Miss sits at No. 7 in the PFSN College Football Playoff Rankings. Kiffin’s jump to LSU happened just two days after the Rebels beat Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl, which essentially locked up their playoff spot.
Players have occasionally transferred from teams bound for the postseason, but a head coach departing a near-certain playoff team is virtually unheard of. When Kiffin boarded a private jet out of Oxford, he was even confronted by furious Ole Miss fans upset over his sudden departure to LSU.
On Sunday’s episode of That SEC Podcast, host Michael Bratton delivered a blunt reality check for LSU supporters in light of Kiffin’s hiring.
“Your coach does not give two shits about you,” Bratton said. “He does not care about LSU. He does not care. He’ll do literally anything he’s got to, to advance himself, to put himself in front of why he’s down there, is more attention; he thinks he can win at a higher level. I guess, even though they’re winning at an incredible level in Oxford.
“But the second, Alabama calls him, Texas calls him, an NFL job calls him, his a** is going to be gone. Whether it’s the eve of the playoff, the eve of the national championship game, signing day, middle of the season, it doesn’t give a sh*t. He’s gone. This is who he is, and you’re giving them the keys to the castle. You’re making them one of the highest paid coaches and he doesn’t give a sh*t about you.”
Kiffin is regarded as one of the premier offensive minds in the sport, as he posted a 55-19 record over six years at Ole Miss. In an interview with ESPN’s Marty Smith, he revealed that he consulted with Nick Saban and Pete Carroll before deciding to take the LSU job.
Kiffin also said that the choice was based on family considerations rather than purely football reasons.
“It’s just something that I prayed on,” Kiffin said. “Maybe it’s right, maybe it’s wrong, but I think, a lot of the time, you just go prove things right. And that’s what we’re going to do when we get there.”
Kiffin is replacing Brian Kelly, who left Notre Dame to become the head coach of LSU in 2021. Kelly’s move also came after he had just led the Fighting Irish to an 11-1 regular season in 2021 and was still in College Football Playoff contention.
After starting the 2025 season 5-3, Kelly was fired following a 49-25 loss to Texas A&M. His firing occurred in the middle of his fourth season, and now it remains to be seen if Kiffin can avoid that misfortune in Baton Rouge.
