Lane Kiffin's run as the head coach at Ole Miss came to an end Sunday as he opted to leave for LSU. The 50-year-old Kiffin tried his best to pressure Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter into allowing him to coach the Rebels in the upcoming College Football Playoff but in the end the school said no and Kiffin left town on a jet in front of angry fans who let him have it.
Kiffin led Ole Miss to a program-best 11-1 record in his sixth and final season and the Rebels are primed for a postseason run. But they will be doing it under the guidance of new head coach Pete Golding, and not Kiffin.
Carter explained his decision to not allow Kiffin to stick around for the playoffs.
"Coach Kiffin and I met yesterday, and he informed us that he is accepting the head coaching position at another school. For our program to begin preparing for its future, both the short and long term, he will be stepping away from the team immediately,” Carter said. "With this development, we could not be more excited to announce Pete Golding as the next head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels."
Late Sunday night Scott Van Pelt laid out the perfect analogy for why Ole Miss couldn't let Kiffin coach in the playoffs.
"This is a divorce and the analogy I’d make is this—if you’re leaving me for one of our neighbors who I hate but you tell me you want to stay through Christmas for the kids, I’m telling you to take your ass down the road and we’ll figure out Christmas with who’s here," Van Pelt said. "I appreciate it, it’s a mature way to view it and maybe I’m being immature but dammit I am and I hold grudges and there’s no way in God’s green Earth that I’m letting him coach my team."
Here's that take from Van Pelt:
Pretty good analogy from SVP last night https://t.co/dIpqyS6Vzv pic.twitter.com/LogE3mnzbY
— Jon Tweets Sports (@jontweetssports) December 1, 2025
That's a pretty great way to look at it. There's just no way Ole Miss could have let Kiffin coach any more games knowing he's leaving for a rival.
It will be interesting to see how the Ole Miss players respond to Kiffin's exit when they finally take the field in the playoffs because what they've gone through in the past few weeks has been pretty wild.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Scott Van Pelt Had Perfect Take on Why Ole Miss Couldn’t Let Lane Kiffin Coach in CFP.
