Cam Newton Reacts to Lane Kiffin's Unprecedented Decision to Leave Ole Miss for LSU

In a move that sent shockwaves across the college football landscape, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin made the decision to depart Oxford for the LSU Tigers job.

No. 7 Ole Miss (11-1, 7-1 SEC) wrapped up the regular season ranked in the Top-10 of the AP Poll with an opportunity to compete for a National Championship - clinching a spot in the College Football Playoff - but Kiffin will not be on the sidelines.

Kiffin boarded a flight to Baton Rouge on Sunday where he arrived in Louisiana to make things official with the LSU Tigers.

Now, Ole Miss will turn to Pete Golding as the new head coach of the Rebels after being elevated from defensive coordinator to the full-time shot-caller of the program.

“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," Kiffin said in a statement on Sunday.

Ole Miss Rebels Football. — Nov 28, 2025; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin looks on in the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-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.”

Now, with the move made official, former NFL star Cam Newton has weighed in on the move - comparing it to the NCAA Transfer Portal - during an appearance on ESPN's First Take.

Cam Newton's Take:

“So this is the perspective that I need to get everybody who has been following this issue or this particular situation. What Lane Kiffin did, was in the best interest of Lane Kiffin,” Newton said on First Take.

“I don’t have an issue with that, but this is what I have an issue (with). When a kid transfers or goes into the transfer portal. Now we’re looking at that kid to say, ‘Oh, why is he going to different schools? Why is he doing this?’

"Well, coaches have been going into the transfer portal since the beginning of time. Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin, LSU, is in essence, the same thing we all have to do: what’s best for our careers?

“Lane Kiffin in this dynamic and not being able to coach the team is a little different than what another coach is dealing with as well. It’s insider trading. It’s tampering.

"You have an opportunity to lure not only players, but staff members and key members that you will necessarily strip, and I mean strip, an organization, a school for everything that they have, and now you turn into an instant foe overnight.

“So why in the world would I allow you to have the ability to coach a team, take everything that we have as a team, and you will have an opportunity to play us as well,” Newton added. “No, no, no, no. I think what Ole Miss did was something that was needed to do.

More Ole Miss News:

Ole Miss Makes Final Decision on Lane Kiffin Coaching CFP As LSU Tigers Pick Up Steam

Potential Lane Kiffin Replacements Revealed As Future With Ole Miss 'In Doubt'

Tony Vitello Pokes Fun at Ole Miss Football's Lane Kiffin in Goodbye to Tennessee

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