When Lane Kiffin boarded a private jet in Oxford, Miss., on Sunday night, he was met by an angry crowd of Ole Miss fans. Some chose to shout profanities at the Rebels’ now-former coach, and others gave Kiffin a one-finger salute.
The vibes were a bit different once that plane landed in Baton Rouge.
After weeks of speculation and days of waiting for his decision, Kiffin officially announced Sunday that he’s leaving Ole Miss after six seasons for a new start at LSU. Several hours later, he touched down in Louisiana and was met by new LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry right off the plane.
A New Era Begins pic.twitter.com/6XjqKmkxTL
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) November 30, 2025
Kiffin then hopped into a vehicle and was met by lines of Tigers fans cheering him on. Following a police escort, Kiffin rolled down his window to give a fist pump to a group of fans standing nearby.
Lane Kiffin rolled his window down and gave a fist pump as fans chanted “LSU” on his way out of the airport.
— Wilson Alexander (@whalexander_) November 30, 2025
“We’re never losing again!” one guy yelled.
🎥: @mjohnsonphoto pic.twitter.com/irhIN7r9cJ
Kiffin isn’t wasting any time, either. Kiffin met with LSU five-star commit Lamar Brown within his first few hours in the LSU office.
Welcome Home @Lane_Kiffin #GeauxTigers🐯 pic.twitter.com/aIe0Rqdrsp
— Lamar Brown (@lamar1brown) December 1, 2025
A stark difference from how things were left in Oxford.
The biggest complication of Kiffin’s move—and what has Rebels fans upset the most—is that Ole Miss is about to make its first College Football Playoff appearance in program history, and Kiffin, who led Ole Miss to an 11–1 record, won’t be on the sidelines.
Kiffin confirmed in a statement that he wanted to coach Ole Miss in the postseason, but athletic director Keith Carter wouldn’t allow it.
“I was hoping to complete a historic six season run with this year's team by leading Ole Miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on the team's incredible success and their commitment to finish strong, and investing everything into a playoff run with guardrails in place to protect the program in any areas of concern,” Kiffin said. “My request to do so was denied by Keith Carter despite the team also asking him to allow me to keep coaching them so they could better maintain their high level of performance. Unfortunately, that means Friday's Egg Bowl was my last game coaching the Rebels.”
But in the end, Kiffin darted Ole Miss for LSU. And it appears the Tigers faithful and committed players are welcoming him with open arms.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lane Kiffin’s Arrival at LSU Looked Much Different Than His Ole Miss Departure.
