Lane Kiffin Reacts to Ole Miss Football's Fiesta Bowl Loss to Miami Hurricanes

No. 6 Ole Miss (13-2, 7-1 SEC) rounded out a historic 2025 season on Thursday night in the College Football Playoff after falling 31-27 to Carson Beck and the Miami Hurricanes.

In what will be remembered as an instant classic at State Farm Stadium, Beck worked his magic down the stretch to give the Hurricanes the lead with 18 seconds left in order to punch a ticket to the National Championship.

But the storylines leading into the matchup will also go down in history with Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding taking control of the program during the postseason amid Lane Kiffin's departure with the new shot-caller in Oxford earning a pair of College Football Playoff wins.

When Kiffin made the decision to depart Ole Miss for the LSU Tigers on Nov. 30, officials in Oxford denied his request to coach in the postseason - immediately elevating Golding from defensive coordinator to full-time head coach.

"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 wrote in a statement.

"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 Ole Miss Rebels' season officially over, Kiffin took to social media where to voice his thoughts on the year amid a chaotic nine-week stretch since Nov. 30.

Amazing effort and grit. @OleMissFB 😢 best season ever in the history of Ole Miss!!
💙 love guys pic.twitter.com/4F6u9kE6Uj
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) January 9, 2026

Ole Miss rounds out the season with a 13-2 record in what will go down as an iconic year for the program led by Trinidad Chambliss under center and Doak Award finalist Kewan Lacy in the backfield.

Now, all focus shifts to the future of the program with Golding at the helm moving forward as the decision-maker in the Magnolia State.

More Ole Miss News:

Lane Kiffin Reacts to New Offensive Coordinator Being Hired By Ole Miss Football

Ole Miss Football QB Trinidad Chambliss Wins Major Award Amid Breakout Season

SEC Rival Emerging as Favorite to Land Ole Miss Football Quarterback Austin Simmons

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