What LSU AD Verge Ausberry Said About Ole Miss Not Letting Lane Kiffin Coach In CFP

LSU's athletic director said that he doesn't necessarily disagree with Ole Miss' decision.

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

The hot topic of the 2025 college football season came at the very end of the regular season, right before the college football playoffs started. With former Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin's dramatically drawn-out move to LSU, controversy reigned and the college football community was left wondering whether he would continue to coach the Rebels through the playoffs before packing up and making the move to Baton Rouge.

Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter refused to let Kiffin coach the Rebels throughout the College Football Playoff, attempting to put an end to the highly-debated question (although it still persists six months later) and appointing defensive coordinator Pete Golding to the head coaching position.

And despite LSU being okay with Kiffin coaching the Rebels despite being named the Tigers' new head coach in December, LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry doesn't disagree with Carter's refusal. In fact, if the tables were turned, he probably would have done the same, as he told USA TODAY.

In This Controversial Instance, The "Hand Wasn't Dealt" to LSU Football

Dec 27, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; Louisiana State Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin, left, stands next to Louisiana State Tigers athletic director Verge Ausberry, right, prior to the game against the Houston Cougars at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Ole Miss' treatment of Kiffin's desire to continue coaching the Rebels through the playoffs is a highly-contentious topic that is still debated over six months after he signed his deal as the Tigers' newest head coach. Was Carter right to not let Kiffin coach Ole Miss, fearing a tampering trail or use of the Rebels' run as a "posterboard for LSU" as Ausberry put it? Was he wrong to deprive the players of the direction of their longtime head coach, and to deprive Kiffin of the opportunity of coaching in his first run of the CFP era?

It's not an easily answerable question from an outsider's point of view, but Ausberry explicitly told USA TODAY that, had he been in Carter's shoes, he would have made the exact same decision.

“I’d probably be like, ‘Nah, we ain’t doing that. No,’” Ausberry said in an interview with USA TODAY sports. “But, that hand wasn’t dealt.”

Despite opening the door themselves for Kiffin to remain with the Rebels until the end of their college football playoff run, Ausberry was candid in admitting that it wouldn't be as favorable for the team on the other side of the coin. He doesn't blame Ole Miss for showing Kiffin the door with that kind of offer on the table.

“If I’m Ole Miss, I probably would’ve made the same decision,” Ausberry said. “I know LSU would’ve made the same decision. I don’t blame anybody.”

There won't be any relief from the debate of this topic and who exactly is to blame for the state of Kiffin's departure, especially with his return to Oxford coming up in September to kick off Ole Miss and LSU's conference season. Kiffin himself won't put it to rest either, with recent comments on the recruiting differences between LSU and Ole Miss.

To Ausberry, the only particular to blame is the system that college football runs on in a kill or be killed fashion that creates just as much drama with tampering in the transfer portal and extending player eligibility.

“(The calendar) is not his fault,” Ausberry said. “If we want to change the system, change the whole system. Go to an NFL model (and say) we can’t talk to a coach ‘til the end of the year.”

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.