Pat McAfee Reveals What He Told Lane Kiffin Amid Major Decision To LSU Football

In a move that sent shockwaves across the college football landscape, Lane Kiffin made the decision to depart the Ole Miss Rebels for an opportunity to become the next head coach of the LSU Tigers.

No. 6 Ole Miss (11-1, 7-1 SEC) is in the midst of a historic campaign in 2025 with the program navigating College Football Playoff preparation after wrapping up the season at No. 6 in the Top-25 rankings.

But the Rebels will operate without Kiffin on the sidelines after boarding a flight to Baton Rouge last Sunday as new head coach Pete Golding prepares for his opportunity to lead the team.

“After a lot of prayer and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision to accept the head coaching position at LSU,” Kiffin said in a statement.

“I was hoping to complete a historic six season run with this year’s team by leading Ole Miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on the team’s incredible success and their commitment to finish strong, and investing everything into a playoff run with guardrails in place to protect the program in any areas of concern.

LSU Tigers Football. — Dec 1, 2025; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU president Wade Rousse, left, LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin and LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry stand together at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

“My request to do so was denied by Keith Carter despite the team also asking him to allow me to keep coaching them so they could better maintain their high level of performance. Unfortunately, that means Friday’s Egg Bowl was my last game coaching the Rebels.”

“While I am looking forward to a new start with a unique opportunity at LSU, I will forever cherish the incredible six years I spent at Ole Miss,” Kiffin continued. “And I will be rooting hard for the team to complete their mission and bring a championship to Oxford.”

Kiffin relied on family, friends, and mentors to assist in the decision-making process with ESPN personality Pat McAfee revealing that he personally was telling Kiffin to stay at Ole Miss.

"I still would like to restate that I was publicly and privately telling Lane that he should stay at Ole Miss. Me, personally," McAfee said.

"Just because I thought there was potential for a lot of heat coming on the other side of it just by reading the tea leaves of the internet. But also having the opportunity to be a guy who builds the place, builds the town.”

In the interview with college football icon, he agreed in the sense of building a legacy, but reiterated the desire for coaches to search for that "next challenge" in their careers.

"One thing about this that I think people don't see maybe from the perspective of [the coach] is that sometimes, as a coach, you think of—and you said it—to build something. You build a program," Saban began.

"You take over a program that's not so good ... and you build it. Well once you build it, and you have success, what's the next challenge? ... When do you get to the place in your life where it's enough? And you can just say every year is like a new job, and I am just going to try to sustain success here?"

Now, Kiffin has officially arrived in Baton Rouge as he's began making significant moves within the LSU Football program with an opportunity to rejuvenate the program.

More LSU News:

LSU Football Hires Elite Offensive Coordinator, Five Assistant to Lane Kiffin's Staff

Three Takeaways From Lane Kiffin's Introductory Press Conference With LSU Football

Lane Kiffin Reveals How Nick Saban, Pete Carroll Influenced Decision to LSU Football

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