Lane Kiffin left Oxford with little more than a short goodbye. The now-former Ole Miss head coach tried to lead the Rebels in the College Football Playoff while agreeing to become the replacement for Brian Kelly at LSU. Having your cake and eating it too doesn't often happen in the SEC, and Kiffin learned that the hard way over the weekend.
Kiffin's actions should come as no surprise for Ole Miss, college football fans or anyone familiar with his personality. This man departs college campuses like he just received a job at a top financial firm. Heck, he tried to bring his best friends with him, giving Ole Miss assistants an ultimatum – join him on a plane to Baton Rouge, or else. The end result was somewhere in between, but Kiffin's final favor to Rebels fans just a day later didn't go unnoticed.
Ole Miss moved up in penultimate College Football Playoff rankings
The Rebels are ranked No. 6 in the latest CFP rankings, which likely cements their place in the field. There was some fear that Kiffin's departure would cost Ole Miss homefield advantage, and perhaps worse, once the committee met in person. However, Kiffin allowed offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. to remain with the team during its playoff run even though the head coach himself wasn't permitted to stay. He also informed the committee of his decision in hopes of swaying the rankings in Ole Miss' favor.
When I say this is the least Kiffin could do, I mean it. He kept the Rebels athletic department waiting for over a month. Kiffin reportedly started looking into the LSU job in late October and early November, all the while leading Ole Miss to an 11-1 season. While the Rebels didn't make the SEC Championship, this is undeniably one of the best seasons in program history.
All the while, it turns out Kiffin was flirting with another job. He got in a shouting match with the AD and Chancellor over the weekend in hopes of coaching Ole Miss through the playoff if only for personal glory, something they understandably denied.
Lane Kiffin burned a bridge at Ole Miss, just like he does everywhere else
Kiffin was once left on a tarmac. He was fired by Nick Saban before the National Championship. In his lone trip to the NFL, Al Davis wrote a manifesto in his honor. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Kiffin – who had supposedly grown up this time around – left Oxford in a cloud of dust.
"That is one of the most fraudulent things I’ve ever heard from a head football coach" - Paul Finebaum on Lane Kiffin claiming he doesn't know his LSU contract details pic.twitter.com/S4yPYioE95
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 2, 2025
Leaving the Rebels program is one thing. Had Kiffin taken another job last offseason, when Ole Miss barely missed the College Football Playoff, it would've been understandable. He led the program to new heights, and even that wasn't enough to break through the glass ceiling that was postseason contention. But this year? Ole Miss came out of nowhere, as they were projected to finish middle of the pack in the SEC, to secure a likely Playoff spot and one of the best seasons in program history.
By leaving Ole Miss for a rival, Kiffin admitted he doesn't think the program's success is sustainable. LSU and the like are jobs Kiffin has chased since he started coaching, and specifically since he fell from the mountaintop. If he's not careful, he'll find himself right where he started – begging for another chance, and second-guessing his decisions.