OXFORD, Miss. — LSU’s courtship of Lane Kiffin has ended, as he’s leaving Ole Miss to take the job in Baton Rouge and will not coach the Rebels in the College Football Playoff.
He announced both things Sunday afternoon, the culmination of a weekslong saga that hung over the sport, prompted vicious debate and puts Kiffin in the unprecedented position of a head coach leaving his team and not coaching it in the CFP.
“This was a very challenging, difficult day,” Kiffin told ESPN’s Marty Smith on Sunday. “We went through a lot last night with [Ole Miss athletic director] Keith Carter trying to figure out a way to make this playoff run work and be able to coach the team. And at the end of the day, that’s his decision and I totally respect that. I understand that decision.
“I just totally wish the team the best of luck, wish that I was coaching. … I just hope they play really well and go win the national championship.”
His deal with LSU is for seven years and is worth approximately $12 million annually, with the potential for bonuses, a source told ESPN. That would make Kiffin one of the highest-paid coaches in college football.
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Ole Miss responded quickly, promoting defensive coordinator Pete Golding as the school’s permanent coach soon after Kiffin left for LSU.
Kiffin, 50, and the Rebels just wrapped up an 11-1 regular season with a 38-19 win over rival Mississippi State, all but assuring them a berth in the 12-team CFP.
After saying he would decide Saturday whether he’ll coach at Ole Miss or LSU in 2026, Kiffin met with Carter and Ole Miss chancellor Glenn Boyce for a couple of hours Saturday at the chancellor’s home in Oxford.
Kiffin also sought the advice of former Alabama coach Nick Saban and Las Vegas Raiders coach Pete Carroll, his former boss at USC, over the past few weeks.
In a statement issued to social media earlier Sunday, Kiffin said Carter “denied” his request to coach in the College Football Playoff “despite the team also asking” for Kiffin to be allowed to finish the season. Kiffin also told ESPN that he understands why he was told by Carter not to attend Sunday’s team meeting, but said, “I don’t know if I totally agree.”
“My heart was here [at Ole Miss],” Kiffin told ESPN. “But I talked to some mentors — Coach Carroll, Coach Saban. Especially when Coach Carroll said, ‘Your dad would tell you to go. Take the shot.’
“I always hated how we gave it one year at Tennessee and left. I hated that feeling of that. I think we gave a lot to this program and to this city and some of those historic wins in this stadium, best regular season in the history of the school. So, I’m proud of that part. But it just became time. I talked to God, and he told me it’s time to take a new step. It’s a new chapter.”
“My heart was here … but it just became time. I talked to God, and he told me it’s time to take a new step. It’s a new chapter.”
Lane Kiffin, on why he chose LSU over Ole Miss
Kiffin, who told ESPN that he never gave ultimatums to his Ole Miss coaching staff, will be formally introduced as LSU’s coach Monday.
Two planes flew from Baton Rouge and landed at University-Oxford Airport before 4 p.m. CT on Sunday. For more than an hour, several of Kiffin’s family members and staff were escorted to the jets in SUVs. Among them were his ex-wife, Layla; son Knox; and brother Chris, the Rebels’ linebackers coach.
There were about 250 fans lined up along the fence. Police prevented vehicles from entering the airport parking lot once it was full. Fans booed loudly and shouted obscenities whenever someone exited an SUV. The last person to board a plane was Kiffin, who was escorted down the runway by a Mississippi Highway Patrol cruiser. He was embraced by LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry, who was wearing a purple shirt, before climbing the stairs and taking off.
“It just was something I prayed on and made a family decision,” Kiffin told ESPN about switching schools. “Maybe it’s right, maybe it’s wrong. But I think a lot of times, you just go prove things right, and that’s what we’re going to do when we get there [to LSU].”
The naming of Golding as head coach will lead to continuity at Ole Miss in 2026 and beyond, especially on defense. Over his career, his units have allowed 18.5 points and 330.8 yards per game. The Rebels this year have the SEC’s third-ranked pass defense and the 25th scoring defense in FBS (20.1 points per game).
“[Golding’s] tenure will begin immediately as he leads our program in the pursuit of a national title,” Carter said in a statement. “Today’s team meeting was a clear indicator of his ability to galvanize our squad. All of our players and coaches are ecstatic and ready to lock arms for a playoff run.
“From the moment he arrived in Oxford, we quickly realized Pete is a coach who could not only lead a program but elevate it to championship status. He has demonstrated an exceptional football mind, but more than that, he has shown a deep understanding of our culture, values and what it means to be part of the Ole Miss family. Simply put, Pete is one of us.”
Kiffin’s decision was expected to come Saturday, and there was a delay in part because the result of the Iron Bowl late that day impacted whether Ole Miss would have played this week. Kiffin also met with some players in the football building Sunday, and he said in his statement that the players wanted him to coach in the CFP.
Part of the drama unfolding Saturday revolved around which Ole Miss staff members would leave with Kiffin. The Rebels’ brass wanted to protect the staff to keep things as normal as possible for the postseason. Kiffin would obviously take some of his staff with him, and the timing of those departures came into focus as discussions went on during the day.
Ole Miss officials are being aggressive with staff salaries, as there’s a high focus on retention, sources told ESPN.
On the offensive side for Ole Miss, quarterbacks coach Joe Judge, a longtime NFL coordinator and head coach, has agreed to stay on staff, sources told ESPN. Judge’s role hasn’t been formalized yet, but Ole Miss officials and Golding made clear early on that he was a priority staff member to stay in Oxford. He coached Trinidad Chambliss and Jaxson Dart while in Oxford.
Ole Miss co-defensive coordinator Bryan Brown is among those remaining on staff with Golding, a source told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.
Bios for offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., co-offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Joe Cox, passing game coordinator/receivers coach George McDonald and general manager Billy Glasscock were removed from Ole Miss’ website listing the football staff Sunday night.
Golding is in his third season on the Rebels’ staff after serving five years as a top defensive assistant at Alabama under Saban.
“Ole Miss Football is special,” Golding said in a statement. “Since the day I arrived, I’ve felt the passion, pride and unwavering support of Rebel Nation. This is a place where expectations are high, and football is woven into the fabric of the community. Our mission moving forward is clear: we will play with toughness, discipline and relentless effort in everything we do.”
Kiffin’s decision included an only-in-the-SEC drama that ensnared three prominent schools, as Florida had also expressed interest in Kiffin earlier in its search. When that wasn’t reciprocated, the Gators hired Tulane coach Jon Sumrall.
Kiffin has guided the Rebels to a 55-19 record in his six seasons. Only Alabama (67-12) and Georgia (71-8) have more wins in the SEC since the start of the 2020 season. The Rebels have the eighth-most wins among power-conference teams during that stretch.
LSU has a championship brand in multiple sports; state-of-the-art facilities; a rabid, regional fan following; and a legendary, historic home football venue in Tiger Stadium (nicknamed Death Valley), which towers over the banks of the Mississippi River and holds 102,000 spectators — 38,000 more than Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
The lone football coach of LSU’s past four who did not win a national championship was Brian Kelly. He was fired in late October during his fourth season — a seismic development that also led then-athletic director Scott Woodward to resign under pressure from Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
