Lane Kiffin is leaving Ole Miss to become the head coach at LSU.
After a weeks-long saga, the 50-year-old has made his decision, and he’ll head to Baton Rouge to take over one of the premier programs in college football. He leaves behind an 11-1 Rebels team that is virtually assured a spot in the College Football Playoff.
It is a bold move from Kiffin, and time will tell if it’s the right decision. Over the past 48 hours, reports suggest things turned ugly between the veteran head coach and Ole Miss, as he pushed to coach the team through the playoff. That is not happening.
Here is Kiffin's official statement:
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) November 30, 2025
There were strong reactions to Kiffin’s decision and behavior on social media. Few were on his side.
No
— Will Compton (@_willcompton) November 30, 2025
Lane Kiffin should not be able to coach Ole Miss as LSU’s Head Coach
The hero has now become the villain
The odds of Lane Kiffin and LSU ending in a total disaster in about 3 years is like 99.5%
— Ryan Balick (@rbalick) November 30, 2025
University of Mississippi knew who Lane Kiffin was when they hired him. He delivered exactly what they had hoped and should have expected. Wins, relevance, chaos and calamity.
— Benjamin Watson (@BenjaminSWatson) November 30, 2025
When people show you who they are believe them. Now LSU wants a turn.
Lane Kiffin doing some mafia stuff to Ole Miss probably should be a red flag to LSU
— Robert Littal BSO (@BSO) November 30, 2025
Kiffin exits, ranked
— Kyle Bonagura (@BonaguraESPN) November 30, 2025
1. Tarmac'd
2. Al Davis overhead projector
3. whatever we're calling this one
4. Knoxville riots
5. Saban doesn't let him coach title game
6. FAU -> Ole Miss
Lane Kiffin having a documentary with the message "money isn't everything"
— BettrNation (@BettrNation) November 30, 2025
Only to leave Ole Miss mid season for money pic.twitter.com/MOxYbA7pna
The more I read about the Lane Kiffin situation— the more insane it truly is. Ole Miss has every right to be pissed. Can’t blame LSU for trying to lure in a splash hire and amplify itself.
— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) November 30, 2025
But Lane Kiffin isn’t a victim here.
Lane Kiffin’s career coaching record
Kiffin arrives at LSU with a long track record of success as a college head coach.
After years as an assistant under Pete Carroll at USC, Kiffin was hired as the head coach of the then-Oakland Raiders in January 2007. He lasted 20 games, going 4-12 in his first season before being fired after a 1-3 start in 2008.
Shortly after the Raiders sent him packing, Kiffin was hired as Tennessee’s next coach. His stint in Knoxville was brief. After a 7-6 campaign in 2009, he left to return to USC, where he coached for four seasons. Despite the crippling sanctions from the Reggie Bush scandal, Kiffin led the Trojans to a 10-2 record in 2011 and a No. 6 ranking in the AP poll. That was the peak of his success in L.A. After a 3-2 start in 2013, he was fired, finishing his time there with a 28-15 record.
Kiffin rehabbed his image during three seasons as Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Those years under Nick Saban led Florida Atlantic to hire him as its head coach on December 12, 2016.
The Owls turned things around dramatically under Kiffin. In his first season, FAU went 11-3 and won the Conference USA title. The team took a step back in 2018, finishing 5-7, but in 2019, they were excellent again, going 10-3 and winning the conference title again. Kiffin left before the team’s bowl game as Ole Miss hired him away, but had a 26-13 record at FAU.
Kiffin’s tenure in Oxford started slowly. The Rebels went 5-5 in 2020, but things turned around shortly after that. They have hit double-digits in wins during four of the past five seasons, have three top 15 finishes, and boast a Peach Bowl win during the 2023 campaign. This year has been Kiffin’s masterpiece, as Ole Miss is 11-1, 7-1 in conference, and is virtually guaranteed a spot in the College Football Playoffs. Overall, he is 55-19 (.743) at Ole Miss, and 32-17 in the SEC.
During his 14-year college head coaching career, Kiffin has gone 117-53 (.688) and established himself as an elite offensive mind and recruiter. He arrives at LSU with an astronomical level of hype.
Now he has to live up to it.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as College Football World Reacts to Lane Kiffin’s Controversial Move to LSU.
