Lane Kiffin Tests Positive for COVID-19, Out vs. Louisville

OXFORD, Miss. - When the Louisville football program lines up against Ole Miss down in Atlanta, Ga. on Monday to kick off their season, they will be doing so without an important figure on the opposing sideline.

Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin announced Saturday morning that he had tested positive for COVID-19, and would not be accompanying his team in Monday’s Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game against the Cardinals.

“I am grateful to be vaccinated and experiencing only mild symptoms. So much so that I debated over being tested, but I’m relieved that I did,” Kiffin said in a statement on Twitter.

The second-year head coach said that there were “no other cases to report or team members expected to miss the game”, but that they would continue to “monitor the team closely.”

Kiffin and his program made headlines last month, when he announced that the entire Ole Miss football program would be entering fall camp with a 100 percent vaccination rate. This included players, coaches and support staff - which is roughly 250 people.

Last season, the Rebels went 5-5 in their first season with Kiffin at the helm, which included an impressive 26-20 Outback Bowl win against Indiana. They averaged 555.5 yards and 39.2 points per games on offense, but surrendered 519.0 yards and 38.3 points on defense.

Kickoff against Ole Miss in the annual Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game, down at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 6 at 8:00 p.m. on ESPN.

(Photo of Lane Kiffin: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports)

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