Why did Lane Kiffin leave Ole Miss for LSU? Inside the controversial decision before College Football Playoff

Morgan Moriarty

•
Why did Lane Kiffin leave Ole Miss for LSU? Inside the controversial decision before College Football Playoff image

The Ole Miss Rebels sit just two wins away from their first national championship in school history. Ole Miss’ playoff run has been surprising, as the team played most of the season without its head coach, Lane Kiffin.

Over the past two months, Ole Miss navigated Kiffin leaving for LSU while installing a new head coach, Pete Golding. Despite the distractions, the team is 2-0 in the College Football Playoff, marking its first-ever postseason berth.

Let’s take a look back at Kiffin’s dramatic decision to leave Ole Miss for LSU.

MORE 2026 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF NEWS:

Why did Lane Kiffin leave Ole Miss for LSU?

Kiffin leaving Ole Miss for LSU was a weeks-long, drawn-out saga that only exists in a sport like college football. According to reports, Kiffin was lured away from Ole Miss with a massive NIL budget the Rebels could not match, among other perks.

The move was officially announced by LSU on Nov. 20, 2025, ending weeks of speculation and drama.

MORE: A look at some of Lane Kiffin's early transfer portal losses in 2026

LSU aims for Kiffin in mid-November

LSU fired Brian Kelly on Oct. 26. Just a few weeks later on Nov. 17, Kiffin emerged as the Tigers' sole focus in their coaching search. In the days that followed, Kiffin's family was seen taking visits to Baton Rouge, as well as Gainesville, for the open Florida job.  

While Ole Miss reportedly wanted an answer from Kiffin on his future that week, the decision continued to drag on. The school reportedly gave Kiffin an ultimatum to make a decision before the Egg Bowl on Nov. 28, which Kiffin denied.  

Kiffin stays mum on future

As his team was preparing for the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State, Kiffin declined to discuss his future during media availability. He did, however, reiterate how happy he was in Oxford. 

Lane Kiffin: "I love it here. It's been amazing and we're in the greatest run in the history of Ole Miss at this point... I'm just living in the moment."

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) November 19, 2025

%3Cscript%20async%20src%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fplatform.twitter.com%2Fwidgets.js%22%20charset%3D%22utf-8%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E

Meeting with Ole Miss AD, after Egg Bowl 

On Nov. 20, a week before the Mississippi State game, Kiffin had a meeting with Ole Miss AD Keith Carter. Although a resolution or formal announcement was expected to come from it, Carter released a statement saying that a formal announcement would come after the Egg Bowl: 

Kiffin, Ole Miss prepare to play Mississippi State

Although there were plenty of distractions surrounding Ole Miss in the days leading up to the Egg Bowl, the game was an important one. With a loss, Ole Miss was likely out of the CFP entirely. Although Kiffin didn't address his future, he did discuss the noise surrounding the program in the recent days:  

Ole Miss defeated Mississippi State 38-19. After the game, Kiffin told ESPN sideline reporter Taylor McGregor that he was still unsure about what he was going to do about his future and that he would have "a lot of praying" to do as he made his decision.    

Kiffin meets again with Ole Miss AD

On Saturday afternoon following the Egg Bowl, Kiffin met with the Ole Miss AD again. Although LSU remained 'very confident' it was going to land Kiffin, the prolonging of a decision put things slightly in doubt. 

In the evening hours, LSU reportedly finalizing its deals with Kiffin was delayed by Ole Miss' playoff hopes. It was later reported that Kiffin wanted to finish the season with Ole Miss through its playoff run, while simultaneously threatening to poach players if he could not. 

CBS Sports later confirmed reports of Kiffin threatening to take players and staff to LSU with him: 

The Ole Miss coach wasn't going to leave for Baton Rouge without a fight, though. In a conversation described as tense, Kiffin didn't want to back down from his desire to coach the team through the postseason.

When Ole Miss showed no interest in allowing him to do so, Kiffin, according to sources, threatened to take the offensive staff with him immediately if Carter and Boyce didn't relent. They held firm; Kiffin would not be coaching the team in the playoff.

As word of Kiffin's tactics spread, multiple Ole Miss football players confronted him in his office Sunday about it. Kiffin refused to directly answer whether he had told his on-field offensive staffers that if they didn't get on the plane with him to Baton Rouge the next day, they wouldn't have a spot on his LSU staff.

"I'm not making them go," Kiffin told the players. "They can do whatever they want."

Kiffin officially announces leaving for LSU

Sunday morning on Nov. 30 still had plenty of drama. A 9a.m. Central time team meeting Kiffin had scheduled was pushed to 1 p.m.. By 3 p.m. Eastern, Kiffin made it official with an announcement via X: 

Greeted with boos and middle fingers from Ole Miss fans, Kiffin boarded a private plane to Baton Rouge. During an interview with ESPN's Marty Smith, Kiffin stated that although he wanted to coach the team through the playoff, he respected the school's decision

Kiffin discusses 'difficult' decision in LSU introductory  press conference

Even after Kiffin was officially introduced at LSU, he touched on his tough decision to leave Ole Miss, as well as his desire to coach the Rebels through the playoff. 

"Extremely difficult decision," Kiffin said in his introductory presser at LSU the following Monday. "In that, we tried every single thing possible to continue to coach the team through the playoffs and to continue to coach the players. In the end that was their decision, and we totally respect that and appreciate the time and energy that we tried to figure out a plan to do the best thing at the time for those players."

Kiffin leaving Ole Miss didn't come as much of a surprise. LSU, one of the best college football jobs in the country, has the type of talent and resources that Ole Miss simply cannot match. In his presser, Kiffin added that he relied on mentors like Pete Carroll, who channeled his father, Monte Kiffin.  

"I felt like everybody that I talked to outside of the state that I was in all basically said the same thing, Kiffin said. "They all said, man, you are going to regret it if you don’t take the shot and you don’t go to LSU. It’s the best job in America with the best resources and to win it. It’s obviously been done here before by a number of people.

"Pete Carroll, really he told me that he always told my dad that he would look out for me. When we were talking, he really channelled him from knowing him for so long, and he said, this is exactly what he would do. He would tell you, boy, go get it; go for it."

Ole Miss assistants that followed Kiffin doing two jobs at once

Although several Ole Miss assistants followed Kiffin to Baton Rouge, including offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., running backs coach Chris Smith and linebackers coach and tight ends coach Joe Cox, only a few are remaining with the team through Thursday's Fiesta Bowl. 

Per ESPN on Jan.6, Weis Jr. And Smith are expected to continue coaching Ole Miss against Miami on Thursday evening. Other assistants that followed Kiffin like Cox and receivers coach George McDonald are expected to stay behind.  

MORE: Ranking the four remaining 2025 College Football Playoff

Lane Kiffin LSU contract details

Lane Kiffin signed a seven-year, $13 million contract with LSU, which will earn him close to $91 million. His new salary makes him one of college football's highest-paid head coaches, right there with Georgia's Kirby Smart.   

Lane Kiffin Ole Miss contract details

Ole Miss reportedly was set to match LSU's reported offerings around $13 million a year, but it's unclear if the numbers matched LSU's exactly. 

Kiffin's salary in 2025 was right at $9 million per USA Today, which made him the 11th highest-paid head coach in college football. According to the Clarion Ledger, Kiffin signed a six-year extension worth $54 million in 2023 with Ole Miss. 

LSU NIL money vs. Ole Miss

Although the numbers for 2025-26 aren't public just yet,  LSU reportedly also is set to commit $25-30 million per year for roster-building with Kiffin. 

A 2024 estimate had Ole Miss' roster from last season costing $10 million. You can guesstimate that number is higher for big-name stars like Trinidad Chambliss, Kewan Lacy and others, but it's nowhere close to LSU's reported commitment under Kiffin. 

Lane Kiffin record at Ole Miss

Kiffin compiled a 55-19 overall record in six seasons at Ole Miss, and he left as the school's third winningest head coach. 

MORE: Bowl season winners & losers

Content Producer

Editorial Team