Former Ole Miss Head Coach Lane Kiffin Expected to Be in Attendance for Sugar Bowl

Former Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin is expected to be in attendance for the Allstate Sugar Bowl following his dramatic departure from the team.

The Allstate Sugar Bowl is less than 24 hours away as the Georgia Bulldogs and Ole Miss Rebels complete their final preparations ahead of their College Football Playoff matchup in New Orleans. This matchup will be a rematch of a contest that took place earlier in the regular season.

The Bulldogs ultimately emerged victorious in the matchup. However, both offenses flourished in the contest, resulting in a more-than 70-point excursion. As the two teams prepare for a win-or-go-home situation in the playoff, maintaining offensive success, while increasing defensive output will be mandatory.

Despite these two programs having an added sense of familiarity with each other, Thursday's Sugar Bowl matchup is expected to be extremely different given the unique circumstances. One of which, involves the Rebels' head coach.

In the first meeting, Ole Miss was led by head coach Lane Kiffin. However, following an extremely dramatic departure due to Kiffin's acceptance of the LSU head coaching position, Kiffin is no longer with the team, and the Rebels' head coaching duties have been taken over by defensive coordinator Pete Golding.

But while Kiffin won't be on the sidelines for the Rebels' matchup, the former Ole Miss head coach is still expected to be in the building for the game. According to reports, many believe that Kiffin will be in attendance for the game and could possibly appear in the broadcast booth for a TV segment.

Lane Kiffin's Dramatic Departure From the Ole Miss Rebels

NEW: Several people at Ole Miss & LSU expect Lane Kiffin to attend the Sugar Bowl, Chris Low reports.

Sources told On3 that Kiffin has reached out to ESPN personnel about possibly appearing in the broadcast booth for a segment during the game, although sources say ESPN hasn’t… https://t.co/DcNfdffERu pic.twitter.com/pEeXVMZfMf
— On3 (@On3sports) December 31, 2025

Kiffin has been known for his ability to "troll" opposing fanbases on social media, and has seemingly turned his attention towards Ole Miss following his departure. While the Tigers' head coach's appearance could simply be in support of his former team, it could also be another jab towards fans.

Given the profound nature of the Rebels' situation, distractions in the lead-up to Ole Miss's playoff run have been at an all-time high. Now, with the prospect that the Rebels' former coach could be in the building for Thursday's game, the Rebels may have yet another distraction to contend with.

Georgia and Ole Miss will kick off their Allstate Sugar Bowl matchup on Thursday, January 1st, at approximately 8:00 p.m. ET. Coverage for this event is set to be made available on ESPN.