Ole Miss AD Reflects on Lane Kiffin's Legacy, 'Really Tough' Exit for LSU HC Job

Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter reflected on ex-football head coach Lane Kiffin's legacy and a "really tough" departure after he left for LSU last Sunday, per comments made to ESPN's Marty Smith.

There's no doubting Kiffin's amazing success at Ole Miss. In 2020, he took over a team that hadn't posted a winning record since 2015.

Kiffin's Rebels went 5-5 in 2020 but then caught fire quickly, going 10-3, 8-5, 11-2 and 10-3 over the next four seasons. They finished ninth in the final Associated Press poll once and 11th twice and notably earned victory in the Peach Bowl over Penn State to cap the 2023 season.

Then the 50-year-old guided Ole Miss to a tremendous 11-1 season that has landed the Rebels sixth overall in the College Football Playoff rankings.

However, rumors surfaced this year that both LSU and Florida were after Kiffin after those schools parted ways midseason with their head coaches, Brian Kelly and Billy Napier, respectively. Kiffin's family notably visited both Baton Rouge and Gainesville as Kiffin continued leading the Rebels, per ESPN's Mark Schlabach.

Eventually, the decision came down to LSU and Ole Miss, who was 10-1 going into its intense Egg Bowl rivalry with Mississippi State on Nov. 28.

Per Schlabach, Carter and Ole Miss chancellor Glenn Boyce considered preventing Kiffin from coaching the Egg Bowl but decided against doing so.

Ole Miss won the game, 38-19, leading to a chaotic finale.

Kiffin made his decision to go to LSU but wanted to stay at Ole Miss to finish out the year. Ole Miss did not let him do that, and on Sunday, the split finally occurred.

Kiffin is taking six members of his staff to LSU, including offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Charlie Weis Jr. However, Weis Jr. is staying in Oxford until the end of the College Football Playoff.

Kiffin has had a history of messy exits during his coaching days, and this one was no different.

As for Ole Miss, defensive coordinator Pete Golding is taking over as head coach. Ole Miss has a few weeks off before playing its first CFP game, presumably a first-rounder at home, on Dec. 19 or 20.