OXFORD, Miss. — The latest in Ole Miss’ coaching saga with sixth-year coach Lane Kiffin could get messy if things aren’t resolved quickly.
After spending all day Saturday, ESPN reporter Marty Smith revealed what the hold up possibly was about. Should Kiffin opt to leave for LSU and not be allowed to coach the Rebels in the playoffs, he could take some of the staff with him.
“I think there’s still some details that are being finalized, figured out and negotiated with as it pertains to Ole Miss offensive staff,” ESPN Marty Smith said late Saturday night. “Obviously, they don’t want him to take them to LSU around here.”
That type of move would be disastrous to a team in the midst of its best season in program history. With a College Football Playoff bid expected to come in two weeks, Kiffin threatening to take current staffers with him could spoil a special season.
Poaching roster
The poaching from Kiffin and LSU doesn’t end there as most expected him to not only take coaches with him, but also key players and recruits. His threats would erupt in chaos on his way out the door for Baton Rouge.
That is exactly what On3’s Brett McMurphy reported Saturday night, that Kiffin is “essentially demanding to finish the season at Ole Miss while simultaneously threatening to poach” both the Rebels roster and coaching staff if he can’t continue to coach his Rebels’ team in the playoffs.
Lane Kiffin is “essentially demanding to finish the season (w/Ole Miss) while simultaneously threatening to poach” Ole Miss’ roster & staff if he can’t, source told @On3sports. “It’s unfortunately gotten even messier than expected as emotions are high” https://t.co/gBcvHKk3Ps
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) November 30, 2025
McMurphy added that his source told him, “It’s unfortunately gotten even messier than expected as emotions are high.”
That’s unfortunately a given considering this story has landed under the national eye after his ESPN 30 for 30 documentary detailed his personal changes over the past decade.
Rescheduled team meeting
Kiffin scheduled a 9 a.m. CT team meeting Sunday morning, but has been rescheduled for 1 p.m. instead for what’s expected to be an announcement on his future whether that be at Ole Miss or LSU.
The Rebels finished the regular season with its first 11-win campaign in school history and appears to be a for a College Football Playoff bid. Whether or not a coaching transition is in place, Ole Miss is expected to be in the field regardless, but could miss out on first round home game due to seeding change by the committee.
Ole Miss ultimately missed out on an opportunity for its first SEC Championship Game appearance Saturday. The Rebels needed Auburn to upset its archrival Alabama in the Iron Bowl, but fell short in a 27-20 loss at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
In a season full of firsts, Kiffin told reporters last week that it was always important to Pete Carroll to be the first at various coaching stops.
“Then on top of that, for them to win 11 regular season games. We talk a lot about, coach [Pete] Carroll used to say, ‘Do things better than you’ve ever done before.’ [Ole Miss] just did that. I guess no one in the entire state has ever had an 11-win regular season, so that’s pretty cool, especially since the SEC has never been harder or deeper than it is now. So that’s an amazing accomplishment by them.”
