After weeks of rumors that gained steam seemingly by the day, as Ole Miss continued to win in spite of the distractions created by its own coach, Lane Kiffin is headed to LSU .
The oft-criticized lightning rod of a coach will not coach Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff, and is instead headed to The Bayou to take over his fifth Division I program.
The 50-year-old Kiffin broke the news of his decision on X on Sunday afternoon, two days after leading the Rebels to an Egg Bowl victory over Mississippi State and a program-record 11th regular-season win. His deal is reportedly worth nearly $100 million.
"After a lot of prayer and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision to accept the head coaching position at LSU," Kiffin wrote. "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.
"My request to do so was denied by [athletic director] 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."
Mississippi head coach Lane Kiffin calls out to his offense during the second half of an NCAA college football game against The Citadel. AP
Kiffin's request to stay on as coach wasn't a realistic one, since Ole Miss and LSU are rivals, the early signing period for high school recruits begins Wednesday and the transfer portal opens Jan. 2.
A coach leaving his team ahead of the playoff is unprecedented, although it is something that could happen more frequently now that the playoff has expanded to 12 teams and the recruiting calendar coincides with the postseason.
Ole Miss quickly announced his replacement, promoting defensive coordinator Pete Golding . Kiffin is reportedly taking offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., general manager Billy Glasscock, wide receivers coach George McDonald and head strength & conditioning coach Nick Savage with him to LSU.
Once Florida and LSU fired their coaches, Billy Napier and Brian Kelly, in October, Kiffin became a hot name for the two programs.
His family toured the areas around both campuses recently, although LSU quickly emerged as his preference. On Sunday, Florida hired Jon Sumrall of Tulane.
In an attempt to quell the rumor mill last week — and perhaps give Kiffin a break from the relentless questioning — Ole Miss brass put out a statement saying that they, along with the coach, would address his future at the school following the Egg Bowl.
Immediately following the 38-19 win, Kiffin was asked if he'd figured out his future as he walked off the field.
Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin during a timeout with his players during the second half against the Oklahoma Sooners. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
"No, I haven't, I have a lot of praying to do to figure that out tomorrow," he said on the ABC broadcast. "Right now, I'm just going to go enjoy these players. I told them last night, you're going to win your 11th game and what I want to do is experience the joy watching you and that's what I'm about to do."
On Sunday, Kiffin finally made his decision, and immediately became a villain in Oxford, Miss., despite leading the Rebels to three consecutive double-digit win seasons and a 55-19 record across six years.
This fall was Ole Miss' most successful campaign, with its lone loss an eight-point setback to Georgia. There were hopes of a lengthy playoff run. That may still happen, but Kiffin won't be a part of it.
