Jimbo Fisher Calls LSU Football's Lane Kiffin 'Villain' For Recent Impactful Decision

Fisher addressed Kiffin's recent decision, how it will negatively impact the Ole Miss Rebels in the Fiesta Bowl.

Nov 4, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin (left) and Texas A&M Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher (right) talk prior to the game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin remains the talk of the town as he continues navigating a pivotal offseason in Baton Rouge while assembling his coaching staff and reconstructing the program's roster.

In a decision that sent shockwaves across college football, Kiffin officially inked a deal with LSU on Nov. 30 to become the program's next head coach amid a College Football Playoff run with the Ole Miss Rebels.

Once Kiffin made up his mind, there was no looking back where he saw multiple staff members board the plane from Oxford to Baton Rouge with him - making the move from Ole Miss to LSU.

Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. headlines the list of coaches that followed Kiffin along with wide receivers coach George McDonald, tight ends coach Joe Cox, and running backs coach Kevin Smith, among several others.

But Kiffin has since "loaned" his assistant coaches to Ole Miss amid the program's College Football Playoff run with the Rebels taking down Tulane and Georgia - now one win away from a National Championship berth.

LSU head coach Brian Kelly and Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin shake hands after a college football game between Ole Miss and LSU at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025. Ole Miss defeated LSU 24-19. | Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Now, it appears Kiffin's kindness has run out when it comes to allowing his assistants to coach in the College Football Playoff after Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding revealed this week that both McDonald and Cox will not be with the Rebels during Thursday's semifinals clash against Miami.

Ahead of the Fiesta Bowl against Miami, former national championship-winning head coach Jimbo Fisher provided his take on the LSU-Ole Miss saga that has now lasted for over six weeks - detailing how it isn't right to not have two assistant coaches on the sidelines on Thursday.

Jimbo Fisher's Take: Kiffin is a "Villain"

“You can’t change the rules of the game in the middle of the game, not for the staff, but because of the players,” Fisher said. “Is it really about them? Is it really about the athletes, or is it about the money, and everything else? … I think that’s where he’s wrong.”

“Everybody says he thinks he’s made out to be the villain. He is right now, because that is wrong. Those kids have an opportunity to do something — you know, that national championship ring I have?

Aug 30, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin (right) talks with offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. during warm ups prior to the game against the Georgia State Panthers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

"Those guys, you don’t get those opportunities. What they have done, and for them to have the opportunity to win the national championship. … He’s wrong for doing it.”

“He thought his dysfunction of leaving would cause them the dysfunction,” Fisher added. “No, it united them. And those coaches went back because they loved the kids, and they did it, and now he’s pulling them back.”

College Football Playoff Semifinals Schedule

No. 10 Miami vs. No. 6 Ole Miss (Fiesta Bowl)
Date: Jan. 8, 2026
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN

No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 1 Indiana (Peach Bowl)
Date: Jan. 9, 2026
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN

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LSU Hosts No. 1 EDGE Transfer as Lane Kiffin Pushes For Ex-Penn State Defender

LSU Football Hosting Elite Florida Gators Transfer For Visit, Former Five-Star Recruit

Arkansas Razorbacks, Kentucky Wildcats Among Teams to Watch for LSU Football Transfer

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