What we all knew is finally official. Lane Kiffin is leaving Ole Miss ahead of the College Football Playoff to become LSU’s next head coach.
Kiffin made the announcement in a social media post that was posted an hour after Ole Miss held a team meeting with players.
“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 his statement.
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) November 30, 2025
No official statements have been made Ole Miss, but there is a lot of reports that the Rebels are skipping the interim tag and will name Pete Golding the permanent head coach.
UPDATE: Ole Miss has officially announced Golding as the permanent head coach.
There are additional reports that most of the Ole Miss defensive staff has been retained with Golding and the offensive staff have been retained through the Rebels’ playoff run.
ICYMI: Lane Kiffin achieves supervillain status on the way to LSU
Again, no official statements have been made so some of this may change, but the overall picture is known. Kiffin is headed to LSU, Golding is the new Ole Miss coach and will lead the Rebels into the playoffs.
More on Kiffin’s statement
Ole Miss fans will have plenty to say about Kiffin’s statement. The quote above is just the first paragraph. Here’s the remainder of the 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 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.
“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 and will be rooting hard for the team to complete their mission and bring a championship to Oxford.”
Where to start?
First off, I’ll believe the players wanted Kiffin to stay when more than one says it because it doesn’t jive with all of the reporting. Also, Kiffin’s not a trustworthy source on that subject.
Second, the whole statement reinforces the notion that Kiffin wanted to have his cake and eat it too.
Kiffin wanted to take the LSU job but also wanted to coach Ole Miss in the playoffs. It was never going to happen. It’s a naïve thought.
And, finally, “commitment to finish strong.” The players were committed, but Kiffin wasn’t or else he wouldn’t be getting to ready board a flight to Baton Rouge.
