Lane Kiffin is officially making an exit from Oxford – and it appears he’s not leaving on the best terms.
The college football coach has finally revealed whether he will be staying at Ole Miss or making the switch to Baton Rouge amid LSU’s relentless pursuit.
Kiffin had been an extremely coveted option by many in-need programs on the college football coaching carousel and the Tigers had made no secret of their desire to poach the coach from the Ole Miss Rebels after they dismissed Brian Kelly last month.
And, after being without a permanent coach at the helm since October 26, LSU finally has their answer: Yes.
Following weeks of speculation, the 50-year-old announced on Sunday that he has made the decision to leave Ole Miss for the Tigers, describing it as a ‘difficult’ one to make following almost six seasons at the helm in Oxford, Mississippi.
‘After a lot of prayer and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision to accept the head coaching position at LSU,’ Kiffin said in a statement.
Lane Kiffin has finally revealed whether he will be staying with Ole Miss or joining LSU
The college football head coach confirmed that he has accepted the job coaching the Tigers
Kiffin had been in the midst of his sixth season with the Rebels, guiding them to a 55-19 record during that time. Ole Miss also finished finished in the top 15 three times, and had double-digit wins in four of his seasons.
And Kiffin confirmed the countless reports claiming that he had wanted to stay in Mississippi to see out his final season – despite preparing to bolt for Baton Rouge – something which the Ole Miss hierarchy denied him.
‘I was hoping to complete a historic six season run with this year’s team by leading Ole Miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on the team’s incredible success and their commitment to finish strong, and investing everything into a playoff run with guardrails in place to protect the program in any areas of concern,’ he explained.
‘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 better maintain their high level of performance. Unfortunately, that means Friday’s Egg Bowl was my last game coaching the Rebels,’ he continued, appearing to take a swipe at his former employers.
‘While I am looking forward to a new start with a unique opportunity at LSU, I will forever cherish the incredible six years I spent at Ole Miss and will be rooting hard for the team to complete their mission and bring a championship to Oxford.’
Sunday’s decision comes after reports suggested that LSU had pulled out all the stops to lure Kiffin to Baton Rouge, including being on the verge of offering him a stunning $90million deal.
Earlier in the day, a report from Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger claimed that LSU had sent two private planes down to Oxford, Mississippi, where Kiffin and his family live, in the hope of enticing him to accept their offer.
The offer reportedly has the blessing of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, who publicly blasted Kelly and athletic director Scott Woodward – leading to the latter’s departure from the school shortly after.
The Tigers were reportedly offering Kiffin a stunning $90million deal to lure him to Baton Rouge
The Tigers have been pursuing Kiffin since firing Brian Kelly (pictured) last month
If true, this marks a surprising turn after Landry previously expressed his unwillingness to spend big on a head coach for the program.
LSU is also in the process of fighting to pay the reported $54m buyout for Kelly by seeking to fire him ‘with cause’. This comes after the former coach sued the school’s board of supervisors.
Late on Friday night, ProFootball Talk reported that not only had Kiffin made his decision but that he was already lining up his coaching staff for the gig at LSU.
However, as recently as Friday night, Kiffin admitted that his mind still wasn’t set.
After guiding the Rebels to a 38-19 win over Mississippi State in his final game in charge, Kiffin claimed he is yet to make a decision on his future.
‘No, I haven’t (made up my mind),’ he told ESPN’s McGregor on the broadcast. “I’ve got a lot of praying to do to figure that out tomorrow, but right now, I’m just going to go enjoy these players.
‘I told them last night, you’re going to win your 11th game, and all I want to do is experience joy watching you, and that’s what I’m about to do.’
The Florida Gators had previously been another suitor in the race for Kiffin until the program switched its focus to Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall.
The struggling Gators are reportedly expected to sign Sumrall to a a six-year deal with an average annual salary of $7.5 million with Sumrall.
The Florida Gators are reportedly finalizing a deal to hire Tulane’s head coach Jon Sumrall
Furious Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin was seen squaring up to a reporter on Friday
Ole Miss has all but sealed its first ever appearance in the College Football Playoff, with a win over their in-state rivals all essentially confirming the school’s spot in the 12-team field.
Kiffin has been in charge of the Rebels for six seasons and has guided the Rebels to at least 10 victories in four of the past five seasons. He has a 54-19 record at Ole Miss.
And tensions have boiled over amid speculation that he could abandon the Rebels in favor of an SEC rival.
On Friday, Kiffin was caught squaring up to a reporter who branded him a ‘h**’ amid the reports that he was considering jumping ship for LSU.
As he left the field at Davis Wade Stadium, the 50-year-old stopped to confront The Ole Miss Spirit reporter Ben Garrett.
As rumors continue to swirl about his potential move to LSU, Garrett said about Kiffin on a podcast earlier this week: ‘Can’t turn a h** into a housewife. H**s don’t act right.’
‘You wanna walk in here and call me a h**? Well see how it goes,’ Kiffin is heard saying to him in the video, which was captured by Outkick’s Trey Wallace .
Garrett later addressed his spat with the Rebels coach on X after the footage went viral.
