Jaxson Dart Opens Up About Lane Kiffin's Decision to Leave Ole Miss

The Giants rookie has a lot of love for his former coach.

Dart played for Kiffin at Ole Miss from 2022 to 2024. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart on Wednesday shared his take on Lane Kiffin's controversial decision to leave Ole Miss for LSU, telling reporters that he is "excited" for his former head coach and also happy that the Rebels chose defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach Pete Golding to lead the team after Kiffin's exit.

"I think with Kiff, he kinda does some things that are unexpected," Dart told reporters of the move. "But I'm looking forward to his next opportunity. Me and him have such a great relationship, so I know he's going to put his best foot [forward] and do some really great things for that program. I'm definitely excited for him.

"I'm also really happy for Ole Miss, keeping Coach Golding at the helm there. I was also happy that they were able to keep their offensive staff, being able to come back and coach the rest of the playoff. I felt like that'd be kind of a disrespect to not let those guys finish it out. Really excited to see their run for a national championship this year."

The coach seemed to like what Dart had to say, considering he later retweeted a clip of the quarterback and added a red heart emoji in the caption. Dart played at Ole Miss from 2022 to 2024.

❤️ https://t.co/Q85WBy8tI7

— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) December 10, 2025

Amid a historic season for the Rebels, Kiffin was recently poached for the coaching vacancy at LSU, which ultimately broke the hearts of every fan in Oxford. Since his exit, the team has elevated Golding to "permanent" head coach and notched its first-ever berth in the College Football Playoff.

At the time of his departure, Kiffin claimed he hoped to stay and coach the Rebels for their likely postseason run; the school ultimately forbade him. But as Dart also mentioned, Kiffin did allow some of the staff he brought with him to Death Valley to return to Ole Miss to coach through the CFP—staffers like offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., tight ends coach Joe Cox and wide receivers coach George McDonald, among others. Initially, when he was hoping to stick around for the playoffs, Kiffin allegedly threatened to bring some of his staff with him immediately, hoping that would serve as leverage to stay on through the postseason.

It has become a very messy situation, and one that could partially define the narrative of the playoffs, depending on how well Ole Miss does. Tensions between the school and the coach will also probably remain high for a period, likely until the programs play one another in 2026. In the meantime, however, at least Kiffin can count Dart among those in his corner.

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