Trinidad Chambliss Has 'No Hate' for Lane Kiffin After HC Left Ole Miss for LSU Before CFP

Lane Kiffin left Trinidad Chambliss and his Ole Miss teammates to become the head coach of LSU while the Rebels were still chasing a College Football Playoff national championship, but the quarterback holds no ill will.

"Yeah, it was definitely a weird process, him leaving right when we were getting a chance to play for everything we had worked for, and also just because me coming from Ferris State, our coach was there for the longest and he will retire there," Chambliss told Chris Low of On 3. 

"I guess I wasn't used to something like that and used to that situation and how he handled it. … No hate or any less love for Coach Kiffin. He gave me a great opportunity to come here and play football, and I'm truly grateful for that."

Kiffin's future with Ole Miss hovered over the program and the sport as a whole in November when LSU and Florida each had openings at head coach. That the Rebels were chasing a coveted CFP spot while the process was unfolding only added another layer of intrigue and drama.

He eventually took the LSU job but wanted to finish the season at Ole Miss. Yet ESPN's Mark Schlabach and Pete Thamel reported in November athletic director Keith Carter and chancellor Glenn Boyce "were adamant" Kiffin could not coach in the CFP.

"Ole Miss doesn't want Kiffin around its players with the transfer portal opening on Jan. 2," they reported. "The Rebels also don't want their CFP games to be a 'commercial' for LSU's future under Kiffin."

John Talty of CBS Sports also reported multiple players "confronted" Kiffin when there were reports he threatened to take Ole Miss' offensive staff with him to LSU if he could not coach in the CFP. However, Kiffin told his players, "I'm not making them go. They can do whatever they want."

The Rebels made noise in the CFP without their head coach with a first-round win over Tulane and stunning quarterfinals victory over Georgia. Their championship pursuit came to an end with a semifinals loss to Miami, but it was an impressive effort given the noise surrounding the program.

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It might be easy for someone like Chambliss to hold a grudge given the distraction it could have presented, but he made it clear he does not.

His own eligibility for the 2026 campaign has also been a major storyline this offseason, and Thamel reported last month "he's expected to play for the Rebels" after the NCAA's petition to the Mississippi State Court for the ability to appeal a ruling allowing the quarterback to play was denied.

The development came after the state court gave Chambliss an injunction in February that made him eligible for an additional season.

With him under center, Ole Miss could once again be a threat in the CFP race. And it will have an opportunity to prove itself on a national stage in a highly anticipated showdown with Kiffin and the Tigers in its SEC opener on Sept. 19.