Nick Saban Addresses His Role in Lane Kiffin's Move to LSU, Unique Thought Process

In a move that took the college football landscape by storm, Lane Kiffin made the decision to depart Ole Miss for a head coaching gig with the LSU Tigers.

No. 6 Ole Miss (11-1, 7-1 SEC) is in the midst of a College Football Playoff run, but Kiffin has made his decision. He's ready to begin the next chapter of his coaching career with the program in Baton Rouge landing the coveted head coach.

But a key piece to Kiffin's decision-making process was the role Nick Saban played where he broke down his part while on ESPN's College GameDay on Saturday.

Nick Saban's Take:

“Well, I think I get a lot of calls, because some people view me maybe as a senior professional that has a lot of experience in the game, after 50 years, 25 years of the head coach, so as a person, as a human being, you want to help everybody you can,” Saban said on College GameDay.

“You know, I’m kind of in this for the betterment of the game, really, for the players and coaches … So anyone who calls me, whether it’s a player, a coach, an administrator, I try to do the best I can, to give them the best information to make the best decisions for the betterment of the game.

“The first thing I ask a coach, if he’s talking about contemplating changing jobs, is, what do you want to do? And I want them to follow their heart in terms of what they want to accomplish and what they want to do.

LSU Tigers Football. — ESPN personality Nick Saban does the Guns Up gesture toward Texas Tech students before a Big 12 Conference football game, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, at Jones AT&T Stadium. | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"I never tell anybody what they should do. I just try to bring some thought into it so that they can make good decisions for themselves and their family and their future.”

How Close Kiffin Was To Ole Miss Return:

“I think he was very confused,” Saban said. “And I think this is a difficult circumstance to be in. I’ve been in this situation before where you finish the season, you want to stay with your team, you want to coach them, whether it’s in the ball game or the playoffs or whatever it is, but you feel like you owe it to yourself and your family to at least look at other opportunities and consider them and see if they think that’s a better situation for you in the future. And the based on the way the calendar is, that never fits together correctly.”

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

Join the Community:

Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and Ole Miss Rebels On SI: @OleMissOnSI for all coverage surrounding the Ole Miss program.