Joel Klatt Calls Out Lane Kiffin for Considering to Leave Ole Miss for LSU

The college football world is still awaiting the decision of Lane Kiffin. To stay, or to go?

The Ole Miss head coach is weighing what is perhaps one of the most difficult decisions of his life. Kiffin has led the Rebels to an 11-1 record and a near-guaranteed first College Football Playoff berth—their best result in modern college football—but would he give it all up to become the head man at LSU?

LSU is considered one of preeminent programs in all of college football. A school with a tremendous recruiting base, the support of practically the entire state of Louisiana, and a program that has seen three of its last four coaches win national championships.

Though LSU is often viewed as a job no one could turn down, the decision becomes especially complicated for Kiffin due to the timeline. If Kiffin leaves for LSU, it might cost him the chance to lead the Rebels in the CFP. Instead of helping his current team try to win a title, he’d be departing for one of their biggest rivals.

As Kiffin weighs his decision, he’s leaned on the advice of legendary mentors Nick Saban and Pete Carroll. He also received some advice from Joel Klatt, who shared his thoughts on Kiffin’s decision during Saturday’s Big Noon Kickoff.

"Coach, listen, the calendar is certainly an issue. There’s no doubt about that and it’s broken and it needs to be fixed and we understand that. But that’s not an excuse,” Klatt said. “Guys like Dan Lanning, Mike Elko, Rhett Lashlee and Curt Cignetti, they have not used the calendar as an excuse to stay at their places in the middle of a playoff run.”

Klatt continued, “Here’s the thing guys, he certainly has the right to go wherever he wants. There’s no doubt. But your currency as a coach is your credibility in front of your team and in recruiting. I just wonder moving forward in front of a team, asking them for commitment and buy-in, will he have the credibility if he makes this move. If I was an opposing coach, you know what I would do? I would sit in a recruit’s living room and say, ‘Why would you commit to that guy if you don’t know if he’s committed to you?’ That’s a problem.”

"Coach, you want to win a National Championship? Then look in the mirror because it's right in front of you right now at Ole Miss." @joelklatt addresses Lane Kiffin's Head Coaching decision ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/hcQNgNgb0e
— Big Noon Kickoff (@BNKonFOX) November 29, 2025

According to ESPN’s Marty Smith, Kiffin’s choice primarily will come down to if he feels he can win a championship at Ole Miss or somewhere else. As Klatt aptly pointed out, the answer is right in front of him.

“This notion that he has to go to LSU in order to win a national title I think is false. In the modern college football you can build a winner basically anywhere. He’s proving it at Ole Miss. Indiana is proving it with Curt Cignetti,” Klatt said. “Coach, you want to win a national championship? Then look in the mirror because it's right in front of you right now at Ole Miss."

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