OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin walked into the press conference Thursday afternoon following the Rebels’ 38-19 victory over Mississippi State in a somber, but joyful mood.
What he has done inside the state of Mississippi, putting the Rebels on the map nationally has signified a full circle moment in his career. When fans and media across the sport doubted how long he would stay, he proved them wrong.
He set out a goal of changing a program’s trajectory and has done just that.
Kiffin has accomplished what no other coach has with three consecutive 10-win seasons and on the verge of the program’s first College Football Playoff berth. There’s even more left on the table with an outside shot of an SEC Championship Game appearance, which would also be another Rebels’ first.
There’s even the possibility his quarterback Trinidad Chambliss could become the school’s first Heisman Trophy winner.
With the Egg Bowl trophy on the countertop in his office, Kiffin paused for a moment to capture a picture of the bronze egg with a sketch of his father, Monte, sitting behind it.
He posted on X captioning it with: “At the office now. Pops thumbs up!! Wish I could hug you right now and you could guide me. Love ya.”
The post was more than just a sentimental picture. It paints the picture of a man about to make the biggest decision of his life wishing he could draw wisdom from his father.
On one hand, Kiffin can stay and continue building onto a program that had hit rock bottom at his hiring.
While another opportunity could give him everything he could ask in fan support, NIL funds, and a national brand that recruits itself.
While he continues toward a critical crossroads of his life, he must make a decision on his own while drawing nearer in faith.
Monte’s Compass
Monte was never just a father to Lane, but a mentor, sounding board, and, in many ways, an anchor for his life.
Whether Lane was coaching in the NFL, running USC’s offense or making the move to Ole Miss, Monte was never far away either as a staff member, an analyst, voice at the other end of a late night call.
Monte is widely considered one of the best coordinators to ever grace football. His brilliant defensive mind mind clearly rubbed off on his son, who has shown offensive chops that can be credited to a deep knowledge of the sport.
He speaks highly of his father, Monte, and made sure to become the best version of himself before the football titan’s passing in 2024.
Like most men, Lane strived to be like his father, taking part in such critical changes such as not eating red meat, intake of sugar, participating in sobriety and becoming a better dad himself.
“Now, I’m much more concerned with the people really close to me,” Kiffin said during his ESPN 30 for 30 last month. “Especially my kids. I want them to talk about me like everyone did my dad.”
Questions such as ‘what kind of program do you want to run? What kind of people do you want around you? What do you owe to the players who trusted you?’ fill the mind of Lane as he decides what’s next in his future.
Those were all guiding principles Lane learned during their years together at Tennessee, USC, Florida Atlantic, and eventually Ole Miss, where Monte spent his final football years as an analyst.
The irony is that Lane now faces a choice Monte would have relished advising on: whether to chase resources and a deeper roster at LSU, or continue building the stability and culture he’s formed with the Rebels.
Lane choked up when he spoke about his upcoming decision, one that holds a lot of weight surrounding other openings in what could be a wild coaching carousel.
Two More Voices: Nick Saban and Pete Carroll
As Lane weighs his next move, two other men loom large in the decision: Nick Saban and Pete Carroll, the two head coaches who shaped the polar ends of his professional identity.
The Saban Blueprint
From 2014–2016, Lane worked under a college football coaching legend in Saban at Alabama as the school’s offensive coordinator.
Three seasons he spent not only revolutionizing an offense, but revitalizing his career that had fallen short in the minds of many across the country.
Instead, he sharpened his view of his what his career could become with the help of someone who won multiple national championships in the most dedicated way possible.
Saban drilled structure, discipline, and relentless detail. He taught Lane how to build not only an offense but program around personnel, not scheme. He taught him how to prioritize organizational alignment which wins games long before Saturday arrives.
LSU has what many coaches desire in deep resources, established recruiting pipelines, and institutional commitment to the product on the field.
In many ways, LSU offers Kiffin the closest thing to a ready-made Saban machine outside of Tuscaloosa.
While there’s no way to know what Saban has advised his former assistant to do, he has shared snippets of his thoughts on College Gameday Saturday morning.
“I think Lane’s decision is going to come down to one thing,” Saban said. “Where is the place that I can recruit the best players?’
“I think one of Lane’s apprehensions is that he’s had to use the portal to build his team at Ole Miss each year and at LSU he probably could recruit better talent and then just supplement his team by need with the portal and I think that’s probably the dilemma that he has as well as his loyalty to his team that he’s coaching now that he wants to be able to continue to coach.”
Then again, it has to be in the back of Kiffin’s mind that he’s assembled a better roster in Oxford than LSU has since the inception of NIL in 2021.
The Carroll Approach
But Pete Carroll shaped the other half of Lane’s identity, the part rooted in player relationships, freedom, creativity, and joy.
Carroll’s USC program was built on energy and culture, not just talent which led to multiple national championships, and a lengthy career in the NFL.
ESPN reporter Marty Smith mentioned in an interview on SEC Nation Saturday morning that Carroll sent Lane a text message encouraging him to reach out anytime. A promise he made to Monte years ago.
“Call me anytime, I promised your dad I will always take care of you.”
What Lane has built at Ole Miss is a near mirror image to the early 2000’s USC.
Players love him, his staff respects him, recruiting has found its rhythm.
Oxford fits him in ways that few places ever have. Carroll used to tell Lane that a coach’s best work comes where he feels most authentically himself.
That place, at least emotionally, is Ole Miss, which makes a decision between Oxford and Baton Rouge so difficult.
So one part of Lane’s mind echoes Saban, a reminder of what LSU could become instantaneously upon his arrival.
The other part echoes Carroll, a reminder of what Ole Miss has become under his watch.
What Monte Would Ask
If Monte were still here, Lane knows the first question he’d hear:
“What do you want long-term?”
Not the paycheck, press conference or quick splash.
Lane has built something sustainable in Oxford — a roster that fits him, a staff that stayed together longer than any previous stop, and a relationship with the town that reflects the best years he had alongside his dad.
But LSU offers something different: the tools to build a perennial contender, the scale to chase championships every season, and the opportunity to apply everything he learned from Saban on the highest stage.
Monte would ask Lane to strip away the noise and look at the people — the athletic directors, assistants, support staff, and players at both schools. He’d tell him that environments, not buildings, win games.
And he’d remind him that happiness, not pressure, fuels longevity.
The Decision Lane Must Make Alone
As much as Lane wishes he could pick up the phone and call Monte, this is a decision he must ultimately make on his own.
Still, he isn’t doing it without guidance. He’s leaning on the lessons learned from his father while gathering experiences learned from Saban and Carroll, two coaches who have played major roles in his development as a professional.
If he stays at Ole Miss, it will be a decision rooted in culture, relationships, and a belief that he can build something lasting.
If he goes to LSU, it will be a decision rooted in ambition, resources, and the pursuit of the ceiling Monte always believed he had.
But, he can likely reach those levels at either school. He recently reflected about a statement he made at his father’s funeral. It was about moving a lot throughout his early life, and said it was “God’s plan for him.”
“You know, I spoke at my dad’s funeral, and I always wondered why we moved so much,” he said Monday. “Because it was hard on us as kids and everything. I realized that was just all part of his story. All the people that came to the funeral or wrote notes from all the different places. And I realized that was God’s plan for him – to impact all those people and have all those relationships. So, I can call all the stuff that happened to me, happened how it was supposed to happen.”
Through prayer and guidance from the Lord above, Kiffin will understand the path He has laid out before him. Kiffin has insisted this decision is never about money, but opportunity for him.
As this moment in life comes to a close, fans, administration, and friends will realize this decision wasn’t made lightly. While it’ll likely be criticized on one side and applauded by the other, it’ll be hard to fault a man who is reaching levels of his career not many saw coming.
