Ole Miss Booster Threatened to Stop Giving Money If Lane Kiffin Returned Amid Rumors

Even if he had stuck around at Ole Miss, the protracted saga surrounding Lane Kiffin's coaching decision may have made his presence in Oxford untenable.

ESPN's Mark Schlabach reported Wednesday that one major Rebels booster told the school they "wouldn't continue contributing money to the program" if Kiffin came back.

"The fan base went from wanting to build a statue for him to wanting to run him out of town," the booster said to Schlabach.

Nothing gets a fanbase back on board like winning.

This time last year, Ryan Day looked like a possible lame duck at Ohio State following a fourth straight loss to Michigan. One national championship later, the atmosphere in Columbus is much rosier.

The pressure on Jim Harbaugh at Michigan was starting to build thanks to his NFL flirtations and the Wolverines hitting a firm ceiling in its title aspirations. Harbaugh then left as a conquering hero after delivering a championship in 2023.

With Ole Miss on track to make the College Football Playoff, the attitudes toward Kiffin may have softened if the Rebels went on a run to the semifinals or deeper. The weeks of speculation about his future would've been water under the bridge.

But we'll never know because he took the LSU job despite Ole Miss being in title contention. That all but guarantees the 50-year-old is unwelcome in Oxford for a long time to come.