Lane Kiffin Makes Personal Decision Before Georgia-Ole Miss Game
Lane Kiffin's departure from the Ole Miss Rebels to take the head coaching position with the LSU Tigers has remained one of college football 's biggest storylines.
It was a controversial move, officially announced on Nov. 30, just two days after the Rebels' regular-season finale against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
When officially announcing the move on X, Kiffin revealed that Ole Miss opted not to let him coach in the College Football Playoff. However, that doesn't mean he wouldn't be close by.
On3's Chris Low reported that Kiffin was expected to attend the Sugar Bowl between the No. 3 seed Georgia Bulldogs and No. 6 Rebels. He reportedly even reached out to ESPN with hopes of making an appearance in the broadcast booth.
That immediately drew criticism, with many college football fans wanting Kiffin to have nothing to do with this Sugar Bowl matchup.
On Thursday, during ESPN's " College GameDay ," host Rece Davis reported that Kiffin no longer plans to attend the game.
“Ole Miss and Georgia, by the way, this just in to College GameDay, Lane Kiffin not planning to go to the game anymore," Davis said.
That even drew a response from co-host Pat McAfee, who sarcastically said, "People were really pumped he was gonna go to that game, that's what I saw. People were like, 'thank god Lane Kiffin's coming to this game.'"
However, the former Ole Miss coach will likely still have his attention on the game. According to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, LSU is set to pay Kiffin the same College Football Playoff bonuses he would have gotten with the Rebels.
That already includes $250,000 for Ole Miss winning its first-round matchup and advancing to the quarterfinals. The total could increase to $1 million if the Rebels win the national championship.
Kickoff between Ole Miss and Georgia is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET at the Superdome, airing on ESPN.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jan 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
