The Odd Exit of Lane Kiffin

Photo by Evan Farrell

I've endured heartbreak as an Ole Miss Rebel. From the Arkansas 4th and 25 conversion to the missed field goal after Elijah Moore's dog pee celebration, I've gone through enough misery to put the average New Jersey student here in a coma. But for some reason, the decision by Lane Kiffin to leave during one of our most historic football seasons hurts a hell of a lot more.

When ESPN came rolling into town to film a documentary on Kiffin earlier this year, I was really ecstatic for the rest of the world to see another side of our coach, a family man who does hot yoga and trolls people on Twitter in his free time. But what stuck with me most was his message about how Oxford had changed him.

The whole “I didn’t know I needed Ole Miss more than Ole Miss needed me” line during his interview made me truly believe we would have Kiffin as our coach at least until the next election cycle. But when rumors began to circulate after Florida fired Billy Napier, I knew we were in for another year of coaching drama.

Photo by Evan Farrell

This entire saga drew very similar parallels to 2022 when it was rumored that Kiffin would take a head coaching job at Auburn. Both times during Eggbowl week and when Kiffin refused to comment one way or the other on his future.

But this time around, it felt different. A week before the news broke, I was sitting at dinner with Ole Miss Wide Receiver Cayden Lee and Quarterback Austin Simmons. When I asked them about the entire situation and what they thought Kiffin would do, their guess was as good as mine. As for the rest of the fanbase, it seemed everyone had their own theory.

Looking into the future, Ole Miss Football will rebuild. Maybe not to the level of national attention that Kiffin brought, but they will find a coach who can win in Mississippi. But for now, the Lane Train has left the station in Oxford.