The One Thing Lane Kiffin Wishes He Would Have Done Differently With Ole Miss

The switch from Ole Miss to LSU wasn't the smoothest transition. Six months later, Lane Kiffin looks back at his departure, wishing it could have been different.

Dec 1, 2025; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin speaks at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

After being hired as LSU football's head coach, Lane Kiffin's departure from Ole Miss wasn't the most seamless job switch.

The naming of him as coach last December came at a critical time for the Rebels: their first College Football Playoff appearance.

Kiffin wasn't ready to leave his history-making team behind just yet, but Ole Miss Athletic Director Keith Carter was. Carter sent him packing, creating a messy departure. Now, Kiffin reflects on his decisions in a recent podcast episode with Pardon My Take, wishing the transition had gone differently.

What He Would Have Done

Feb 11, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; LSU football head coach Lane Kiffin looks on from the baseline at the game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Miami Heat during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

A lot of things could have been different. That's for sure. When asked if Kiffin would have done it differently, the answer was yes.

"Yeah, I think I would have just came in and said 'Okay, I'm leaving,'" said Kiffin in the recent podcast.

Instead, he tried to continue his time in Oxford and help the Rebels in their first playoff berth. In his mind, just because the news broke that he was going to the SEC rival, he didn't have to cut ties with the Rebels just yet.

But Ole Miss didn't agree. And as he now reflects, Kiffin should have left it at that.

"I spent a lot of time right there fighting to coach the team," said Kiffin. "I was trying so hard to keep that together."

He wanted to continue the successful direction the program was headed in. The program in front of him had just made history in clinching the playoffs, and Kiffin was no longer allowed to be a part of it.

The Messy Timeline

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin answers questions from the press after a college football game between Mississippi State and Ole Miss at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss., on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. Ole Miss defeated Mississippi State 38-19 in the Egg Bowl. | Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

He's right for acknowledging that the whole timeline should have been different. After social media heard rumors that he was heading to Baton Rouge, Kiffin's locker room was left in the dark.

In the podcast, Kiffin explains that he couldn't have a normal team meeting with the timeline of Pete Goulding being named head coach and not being able to correctly inform the team.

"Instead of saying, I really want to coach, say hey, I'm not coaching, I'm taking the job and I'm appreciative," said Kiffin.

Kiffin also discussed how the fan attention he received "speaks to the SEC," as he noted that the people who supported him and loved him for six years at Ole Miss turned against him when the news broke about his new job.

"Where else does that happen?" said Kiffin.

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