Over the weekend, Lane Kiffin made the difficult decision to leave Ole Miss before their likely College Football Playoff run to become the head coach of rival LSU.
While Kiffin wanted to continue coaching Ole Miss through the playoff before departing for LSU, Ole Miss opted not to let him have his cake and eat it too. Kiffin had the option to remain at Ole Miss—a program he has turned into a success over the last six years—but instead couldn’t pass up the opportunity to coach LSU, which he called the best job in football on Monday.
A week before Kiffin had made his decision, legendary former coach Nick Saban called for a change to the college football calendar that better fits the football and academic schedule in the new era of the sport.
“We need to take a better approach to the business aspect of what we do in college athletics. In the NFL, you cannot leave your team until you finish playing,” Saban said recently. “You can’t talk to another coach in the regular season. There’s a defined time you can talk to them if they’re in the playoffs. That’s the way it should be.”
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, who coached alongside Kiffin at Alabama under Saban a decade ago, echoed Saban’s point while addressing Kiffin’s decision on Monday.
"I don't envy the position he was in,” Smart said. “I think it's a really hard position to be in and to navigate. I think Coach Saban addressed it best. We're in a time frame where ADs are in, people are making decisions in a timeline that's not congruent with the season and the playoffs. It makes for really difficult decisions.”
Kirby Smart on Lane Kiffin's decision to leave Ole Miss for LSU:
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) December 1, 2025
"I don't envy the position he was in. I think it's a really hard position to be in and to navigate.
"I think Coach Saban addressed it best. We're in a time frame where ADs are in – people are making decisions in… pic.twitter.com/znhkvF9FN0
Kiffin’s decision has drawn mixed reactions. While Smart and Saban seem more sympathetic to the difficult timeline of when Kiffin had to make his choice, others have pointed out that he is no victim. Sure, the calendar should be changed, but it was still his call to bolt from a team that he turned into a title contender instead of trying to help them win the championship. His position was unique, but it was also unique because other top coaches like Curt Cignetti, Mike Elko and Steve Sarkisian quickly shut down any thoughts about leaving their programs.
Ultimately, Kiffin ended up taking the job that would leave him without regret, and the job Pete Carroll said his dad would’ve told him to go for. It will cost him this CFP run, but he and LSU are hopeful it will lead to more championships down the line.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kirby Smart Reacts to Lane Kiffin’s Decision to Leave Ole Miss for LSU Before CFP.
