Kiffin Takes the Helm at LSU, Leaving Ole Miss Behind

BATON ROUGE, La. — Lane Kiffin was introduced as LSU‘s coach Monday, promising to restore the program to “the best in all of college football.” He also detailed what he described as a tough decision to leave Ole Miss.

Kiffin’s arrival concludes a monthslong process where he was considered for coaching positions at both Florida and LSU, while Ole Miss worked to keep him. He departs Oxford during a remarkable season for the Rebels, who currently hold an 11-1 record and are ranked No.7 in the College Football Playoff rankings.

Kiffin admitted the “last 48 hours, in a lot of ways, sucked,” and acknowledged understanding the frustration of Ole Miss fans who confronted him at the airport. He explained that he informed Ole Miss administrators on Saturday night of his intention to accept the LSU job, and spent Sunday exploring the possibility of continuing to coach the Rebels through their playoff game – a historic event for the state of Mississippi.

“There was no way to possibly do it, in my opinion, any better than we did from a timing standpoint,” Kiffin said.

Ultimately, Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter decided Kiffin wouldn’t coach the Rebels in the playoffs. Kiffin stated he respected this decision. Carter reportedly explained that while keeping the staff together for the playoffs might seem logical to outsiders,he would still have to live in Oxford after Kiffin’s departure.

LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry described Kiffin as “a big enough personality to operate in a state of big personalities” and confirmed LSU had no objections to Kiffin finishing the season with Ole miss. However, Ausberry pointed out that, unlike the NFL, college football doesn’t have a rule preventing schools from contacting coaches before the season ends.

“That’s not our fault,” Ausberry said. “it was a hand we were dealt, and we had to deal with it.”