Lane Kiffin Recalls Alarming Incident With Ole Miss Football Fans Prior to Departure

Kiffin revealed an Ole Miss fan tried to run him off the road, utilized a police officer to assist him to the tarmac.

LSU head coach Brian Kelly and Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin shake hands after a college football game between Ole Miss and LSU at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025. Ole Miss defeated LSU 24-19. | Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lane Kiffin has made his move after electing to depart the Ole Miss Rebels for a head coaching gig with the LSU Tigers, he revealed on Sunday.

After six seasons in Oxford, Kiffin walks away from the Ole Miss program amid a College Football Playoff run with defensive coordinator turned head coach Pete Golding is now set to lead the Rebels.

Golding was elevated to full-time head coach after Kiffin's messy departure from the Magnolia State.

“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.

“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.”

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

Once Kiffin's departure was made public, the Ole Miss fanbase heckled Kiffin all the way to the airport where he revealed what occurred prior to his flight to Baton Rouge.

The Incident Instilled in Kiffin: Drive to the Airport

“I’m human. Even though you understand it’s the passion, you’re with your son and you’re driving and you’ve got to call a cop that you know so they’ll help you because you personally know them, because you are leaving the state,” Kiffin said.

“You got to call them because you’re driving with your son and you’ve got to turn around. People are like screaming at you trying to run you off the road. I don’t know what they’re gonna do. So that affects you.

"That airport scene, all the things being said, I understand it. It’s the passion. But they’re saying that about you. You thought you did a really good job for six years for them. That affects you.

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin walks off the field during a college football game between Mississippi State and Ole Miss at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss., on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. The Egg Bowl game marks the 122nd meeting between the two teams. | Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“Even on the plane down here, you’re kind of like ‘Man, we made this decision, but God I really —’ you know? We landed last night and when I saw the board there and I saw the leadership and I felt the power of this place.

"Then we get out of the car and there’s the fans, just all of them out there at the airport. Then the cars drive by as you’re going to the office and you drive by Tiger Stadium and it’s lit up and you’re like, ‘I absolutely made the right decision.’ And it all went away.”

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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