Lane Kiffin has officially addressed his decision to depart Ole Miss and take over as LSU’s next head coach, releasing a detailed statement explaining the move.
Kiffin acknowledged that his preference was to remain with the Rebels through the College Football Playoff run. However, during a meeting with athletic director Keith Carter, the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement that would allow him to finish the postseason with the team. As a result, Kiffin and Ole Miss mutually agreed that he would step away immediately and begin his transition to Baton Rouge.
Kiffin is set to be formally introduced as LSU’s head coach on Monday. Meanwhile, Ole Miss will move forward in the CFP with newly promoted head coach Pete Golding, who stepped up from his defensive coordinator role.
“After a lot of prayer and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision to accept the head coaching position at LSU,” Kiffin said in his statement. “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 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.”
Although excited for what lies ahead in Baton Rouge, Kiffin emphasized that his years in Oxford were meaningful and filled with pride.
“While I am 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,” he wrote. “And I will be rooting hard for the team to complete their mission and bring a championship to Oxford.”
Kiffin exits Ole Miss having compiled a strong 55–19 record, adding to his career mark of 116–53 accumulated at Tennessee, USC, FAU, and Ole Miss. He guided the Rebels to a school-record 11 regular-season victories this year, positioning them well for a potential first-round College Football Playoff home game in the coming weeks.
