Lane Kiffin Expects 'Hatred' When LSU Returns to Ole Miss

LSU head coach Lane Kiffin knows what to expect when he return to Oxford on Saturday for the first time since leaving Ole Miss.

Mississippi Football Coach Lane Kiffin, center, is quickly escorted off the field after Ole Miss defeated Tennessee at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021. Kns Tennessee Ole Miss Football Bp | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

A year ago, Lane Kiffin was arguably one of the most beloved people in Oxford, Mississippi. As head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels, he had led them back to prominence and was in the midst of the program’s best season in decades. “Hatred” wasn’t even a word in the vocabulary when talking about Kiffin and Ole Miss.

However, that can't be said anymore. Kiffin went from being a fan favorite to being enemy No. 1 in Oxford, despite all of what he did in his six seasons as the Rebels' head coach, and the 51-year-old knows it.

“There’s just going to be so much attention, hatred, everything on me. I said, you just get to go play,” Kiffin said of his message to the team amid questions of safety protocols. “The pressure’s on them. They’re the team that, and we won seven games last year. They won 13. They return two Heisman candidates.” 

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin participates in the Walk of Champions before a college football game between Ole Miss and LSU at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Kiffin’s message came amidst reports of increased security measures being put in place, as reported by Ole Miss on SI, in anticipation of Saturday’s games, where the emotions and vitriol are expected to run high. 

There was already a preview of what Vaught-Hemingway Stadium will look like upon Kiffin’s return, as when he left Ole Miss for the LSU job back in December, he was sent off with boos from a crowd that gathered at the Oxford airport.

Yet, this is nothing new for Kiffin. He’s already dealt with a similar situation back in 2021, when he made his return to Neyland Stadium for the first time since leaving the Volunteers back in 2009.

Kiffin’s Rebels emerged from that game with a 31-26 win, but the game is most remembered for mustard and ketchup bottles being thrown on the field following a controversial booth review on a fourth-down play. Kiffin was also famously hit with a golf ball during the game.

Yet, while the game will undoubtedly be personal for Kiffin, he just wants his team focused on one thing: the game itself. 

“It’ll be about how well did we practice, how well did we prepare, how well did we play on game day going into a place that has had a lot of success there, …” Kiffin said. “That’s going to put you in a position to win a lot of games. So we’re going to have to prepare really well and play really well in all areas.” 

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