'There's Real Voodoo Here': Lane Kiffin Shares Hilarious Ms. Terry Saban Story

In this story:
After about six seasons as Ole Miss' head coach, Lane Kiffin's late-November move to become LSU's next head coach sent shockwaves around the college football world.
Sometimes it's easy to predict where ESPN's College GameDay pregame show will travel to, and there's no doubt that it's coming to Oxford for when Ole Miss hosts LSU on Sept. 19. It's a matchup that sports fans have circled on their calendars, as it's one of the most anticipated games of the season.
Before winning six national championships in 17 years as Alabama's head coach, Nick Saban held the same role at LSU from 2000-04, winning his first national title in 2003. He spent the next two years with the Miami Dolphins before he took the Crimson Tide job. Kiffin's return to Oxford will be brutal, and Saban had a similar experience when he went back to Baton Rouge for a game.
"When you get to that game [against Ole Miss], give me a call because you're going to break the record for the a— kicking you get for the place you go back," Saban told Kiffin on SEC Network on Thursday. "Because I have it right now when I went back to LSU after leaving and going to Alabama. Alright, so I'll give you some coaching points on how to get through that.
Kiffin, who served as Saban's offensive coordinator at Alabama from 2014-16, then shared a story surrounding Ms. Terry Saban, Nick's wife.
"If you remember, even though at this point you'd been back to LSU a lot, but I'm walking on the sideline before the LSU game that they still dislike him there at the time — the fans are yelling stuff at him — and she's got this stuff and putting it on the ground," Kiffin said. "I'm like, 'What are you doing?' She's like, 'There's real voodoo here in the stadium. There's real voodoo, and they don't like Nick here. So I got to spread this stuff out to make sure we're okay.'
Saban then revealed that she was putting holy water on the field of Tiger Stadium, as the entire SEC Network panel was hysterically laughing.
Kiffin went to Baton Rouge two times during his Alabama tenure, with the Tide winning 20-13 in overtime in 2014 and 10-0 in 2016.
Alabama will travel to LSU once again during this upcoming season on Nov. 7. The kickoff time is currently unknown, as it'll be 2:30-3:30 p.m. CT or 5-7 p.m.
Alabama's 2026 TV Windows
All times central (SEC games are bolded)
- Sept. 5: vs. East Carolina, 11 a.m. on ABC
- Sept. 12: at Kentucky, 2:30 p.m. on ABC
- Sept. 19: vs. Florida State, 2:30 p.m. on ABC
- Sept. 26: vs. South Carolina, NIGHT (5-7 p.m.)
- Oct. 3: at Mississippi State, EARLY (11 a.m-12 p.m.)
- Oct. 10: vs. Georgia, NIGHT (5-7 p.m.)
- Oct. 17: at Tennessee, FLEX – will be announced 6-12 days out (2:30-3:30 p.m. OR 5-7 p.m.)
- Oct. 24: vs. Texas A&M, FLEX (2:30-3:30 p.m. OR 5-7 p.m.)
- Oct. 31: BYE
- Nov. 7: at LSU, FLEX (2:30-3:30 p.m. OR 5-7 p.m.)
- Nov. 14: at Vanderbilt, EARLY (11 a.m-12 p.m.)
- Nov. 21: vs. Chattanooga, 1 p.m. on SECN+
- Nov. 28: vs. Auburn, FLEX (2:30-3:30 p.m. OR 5-7 p.m.)
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Threads and Blue Sky for the latest news.
Hunter De Siver is the lead basketball writer for BamaCentral and has covered Crimson Tide football since 2024. He previously distributed stories about the NFL and NBA for On SI and was a staff writer for Missouri Tigers On SI and Cowbell Corner. Before that, Hunter generated articles highlighting Crimson Tide products in the NFL and NBA for BamaCentral as an intern in 2022 and 2023. Hunter is a graduate from the University of Alabama, earning a degree in sports media in 2023.
Follow HunterDeSiver