Ole Miss fans are saying goodbye and good riddance to Lane Kiffin … in a not-so-nice way.
After the former Ole Miss football coach made his decision on Sunday, November 30, to leave the team for a coaching job at LSU, Rebels fans gathered at the airport in Oxford, Mississippi, to tell Kiffin how they feel about his decision.
Boo’s and f*** yous rained down on the coach, according to a video posted on X, as Kiffin made his way onto a plane to take him to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
There were plenty of middle fingers to go along with the message, per the online footage.
Kiffin’s decision on Sunday came after weeks of speculation about whether he was going to finish out the season as the head coach of Ole Miss, or abandon ship for another school.
Kiffin has led Ole Miss to one of its most successful seasons in history. With an 11-1 record on the year, the Rebels are ranked seventh in the nation and have all but secured their spot in the College Football Playoff.
With Kiffin’s decision, though, he will not coach for Ole Miss in the postseason.
“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 finishing strong, and investing everything into a playoff run with guardrails in place to protect the program in any areas of concern,” said Kiffin in a statement while announcing his decision to leave the program.
In the same statement, the coach claimed he asked Ole Miss Athletic Director Keith Carter to continue coaching the team, but the request was denied.
“Unfortunately, that means Friday’s Egg Bowl was my last game coaching for the Rebels,” Kiffin continued in the statement. “While I’m looking forward to a new start with a unique opportunity at LSU, I will forever cherish the incredible six years I spent at Ole Miss and will be rooting hard for the team to complete their mission and bring a championship to Oxford.”
Carter released a statement after the announcement of Kiffin’s replacement, Pete Golding, who has served as the team’s defensive coordinator since 2023.
“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 in the statement.
Kiffin finishes his time at Ole Miss with a 55-19 overall record over six seasons at the helm. He went 3-2 in Bowl Games with the Rebels, including back-to-back Bowl Game wins in 2023 and 2024.
“This was a very challenging and difficult day,” Kiffin told ESPN before boarding his plane to Baton Rouge. “We went through a lot last night with Keith Carter trying to figure out a way to make this playoff run work and be able to coach the team, and at the end of the day that’s his decision. I totally respect that and I understand that decision. I just totally wish the team the best of luck, I wish I was coaching, but I understand that it was a very challenging position for him to be in.”
Kiffin continued, “Just hope they play really well, and go win the national championship.”
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