Why isn't Lane Kiffin coaching in the playoff? Explaining Ole Miss' 'denied' request after LSU split

Morgan Moriarty

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Why isn't Lane Kiffin coaching in the playoff? Explaining Ole Miss' 'denied' request after LSU split image

Ole Miss will be playing in the College Football Playoff for the first time. The Rebels will host a playoff game after the school’s first-ever 11-win regular season.

The head coach who helped create those firsts, however, won’t be in the building when the biggest game in program history kicks off.

Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss for LSU last month after six seasons in Oxford, compiling a 55-19 overall record. He reportedly delayed his decision to take the LSU job in hopes of coaching the Rebels through the playoff, but that request was ultimately denied.

Instead, new Rebels head coach Pete Golding will try to deliver Ole Miss’ first-ever playoff win.

Here’s why Kiffin left Ole Miss for LSU — and why he isn’t coaching the Rebels during their playoff run.

MORE: Winners and losers from Lane Kiffin's move to LSU

Why isn't Lane Kiffin coaching in the playoffs?

According to Kiffin, he met with Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter on the evening of Nov. 29 and asked if he could coach the Rebels through their playoff run.

Kiffin, of course, wanted to lead his players in a historic College Football Playoff appearance. He was one of the driving forces behind the playoff run in the first place and wanted to finish what he started.

Here’s Kiffin speaking with ESPN’s Marty Smith about his conversations with Ole Miss, ultimately saying he “respected” the school’s decision.

"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."

From Ole Miss’ perspective, it’s difficult to justify keeping a head coach for a postseason sendoff after he’s already bolted for an SEC rival. The decision is further complicated by the college football calendar, which places the Early Signing Period and the heart of the recruiting cycle in December and January — right in the middle of the College Football Playoff. Asking one coach to simultaneously prepare for CFP games while recruiting for one of the sport’s biggest jobs is a tall order.

Kiffin has also attempted to juggle both roles before, with poor results. In December 2016, he accepted the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic while still serving as Alabama’s offensive coordinator during a playoff run. As the Crimson Tide prepared for the national championship game against Clemson, Kiffin and Nick Saban “mutually agreed to part ways,” a move widely viewed as Saban’s decision.

Given that history, Ole Miss ultimately chose not to let Kiffin coach through the postseason. The school moved quickly to name Pete Golding — who served as defensive coordinator this season — as its permanent head coach.

Golding has been a major factor in Ole Miss’ success, with the Rebels allowing just 20.1 points per game, tied for 20th nationally. He will lead Ole Miss through its playoff run and beyond.

MORE: P redictions against the spread for the 2025 CFP first-round

Why did Lane Kiffin leave Ole Miss?

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.

Kiffin alluded to this in his first presser with LSU, citing he leaned on one of his mentors, Pete Carroll, for advice: 

"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."

Kiffin became Ole Miss' third-winningest head coach in just six seasons at Oxford. With the talent and resources that LSU can dedicate to recruiting and facilities, theoretically the wins should pile up quick for Kiffin, just like they did in Oxford. 

MORE: How much money LSU is giving Lane Kiffin to leave Ole Miss

 

Ole Miss coaching staff controversy

In the days that followed, more reporting emerged surrounding Kiffin trying to coach Ole Miss through the playoff. According to John Talty of CBS Sports, Kiffin threatened to take his offensive staff with him to Baton Rouge if he couldn't continue coaching: 

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."

Talty added that Kiffin did not attend a team meeting on Sunday, per the school's request, and that Golding worked to "hold on to" as many Ole Miss staffers as he could. 

MORE: Meet Pete Golding, who will replace Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss

Who is going to LSU with Lane Kiffin?

So far, a number of Ole Miss coaches have followed Kiffin to join his new LSU staff. Here's a look at the names that have joined his new LSU staff: 

  • LSU offensive coordinator Charlie Weis: Former Ole Miss OC, 2022-2025
  • LSU tight ends coach Joe Cox: former Ole Miss co-OC, TEs coach 2024-2025
  • LSU wide receivers coach George McDonald: former Ole Miss WRs coach, 2024-2025
  • LSU receivers coach Sawyer Jordan: Ole Miss Inside WRs coach 2025 
  • LSU quarterbacks coach Dane Stevens: Ole Miss analyst 2022-2025

Ironically, Weis Jr. As well as the other four staff members that followed Kiffin to Baton Rouge will all be returning to Oxford to assist Golding in game preparation against Tulane. According to ESPN, Kiffin allowed the coaches to return "in an effort to help" Golding. Kiffin publicly announced Weis' return on Dec. 2:

Ole Miss is a big 17.5-point favorite against Tulane. The Rebels actually played the Green Wave earlier this season winning handily 45-10 on Sept. 20.  

MORE: AllSportsPeople 2025 College Football All-America Team

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