Lane Kiffin has left Ole Miss to take over as LSU’s head football coach. After he made his decision, Kiffin did not attend a meeting with the Rebels players before departing. He has now explained why he didn’t attend.
During an interview with ESPN’s Marty Smith before he got on a plane to head to Baton Rouge, Kiffin claimed Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter asked him not to go. Kiffin said he understood the decision.
“I totally respect Keith’s decision,” Kiffin said. “He asked me not to come to the meeting, and said I couldn’t come. Which I totally understand. I don’t know that I necessarily agree with that... but I also, he’s got a job to do.”
Kiffin also claimed that he tried to figure out a way to continue to coach Ole Miss during the College Football Playoff, but Carter would not allow that to happen, and Kiffin said he understood that decision and respected it. It sounds like he wanted to address and meet with his players, but Carter didn’t think that was a good idea.
The full interview is below.
Lane Kiffin speaks with ESPN's Marty Smith about the decision to leave Ole Miss for LSU as he's about to get on the plane. 🏈🎙️ #CFB https://t.co/wH3EcY6NcC pic.twitter.com/Suvet4bqNU
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 30, 2025
One notable thing to come out of that segment is that Kiffin’s mentor, Pete Carroll, advised him to take the LSU job.
While many in Oxford will be disappointed with Kiffin’s decision, it’s over now. Ole Miss has already announced his permanent replacement, and we now know Kiffin will be one of the highest-paid coaches in college football.
It now appears the race is on for Kiffin’s assistants. Several are expected to go with him to LSU, while others are staying behind at Ole Miss. More decisions are likely in the next few days.
The Kiffin-to-LSU saga has drawn out for weeks, and many are probably happy the story has been put to bed. Ole Miss can now focus on the rest of its season and the future, and Kiffin can get to Baton Rouge and start building his program.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lane Kiffin Explains Why He Didn’t Attend Ole Miss Team Meeting Before Going to LSU.
