Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss for LSU during an undefeated season, causing backlash among fans. Recently, he commented on the challenges of recruiting at Ole Miss compared to LSU, citing diversity issues.
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Credit: The Dan Patrick Show, LSU
Thereâs a long line of college football programs and fans who never thought Lane Kiffin would eat their faces, so to speak, but they forgot that a leopard canât change its spots.
Ole Miss and its fans were the latest to learn that after Kiffin bailed on them in the middle of an undefeated season to take the head coaching job with rival LSU. There was much gnashing of teeth after the decision and the way it all went down. But as the 2026 college football season nears, there is perhaps hope that everyone can move forward.
That hope died this week when Kiffin, unprompted, told Vanity Fair that it was hard to convince the families of certain recruits to play in Oxford, Mississippi, and that there was much more diversity in Baton Rouge. In other words, the Deep South and Confederate iconography and history at Ole Miss were problems that he had solved by leaving for LSU.
Kiffin apologized on Tuesday and tried to make it clear that he had no ill will toward Ole Miss or his time there, but the damage was done. As he tends to do, Kiffin unnecessarily stoked resentment and reinforced his image as the villain among those who once called him coach.
Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss for LSU during an undefeated season, which upset many fans and players.
Kiffin mentioned that it was hard to convince families of recruits to play at Ole Miss due to diversity issues.
Ole Miss fans expressed significant disappointment and anger after Kiffin's abrupt decision to leave for LSU.
Kiffin's comments may further strain relationships with Ole Miss fans and impact future recruiting efforts for the program.
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Dan Patrick wishes that, in this instance, Kiffin could have just let bygones be bygones.
âI wish Lane would take the high road. I really wish he would have,â said Patrick on his show Tuesday. âThat there can be a win-win that Ole Miss brought back into relevance, you know, playing in playoffs. It was good. Lane Kiffin moves on for a better job from the standpoint of recruiting, money, resources. I get it. But itâ you left this quote hanging there in Oxford, Mississippi. And thatâs where itâs not fair. Itâs not right. And Iâm disappointed that Lane doesnât see it that way.â
Patrick also warned that if youâre going to paint Ole Miss and Oxford, Mississippi, in a certain light, âjust be aware that thereâs a lot of history down there [in Louisiana].â
Patrick added that, at this point, thereâs nothing to be gained by trash-talking Ole Miss.
âI know, recruiting. Is that what this is about? Is it, you know, âHey, I had another reason why I left.â You donât have to make up something,â he said. âYou know, just say it was a better job, more money. I got a chance to win a national title. I can have sustained greatness there where Ole Miss, man, we were kind of trying to hold this together with, you know, Scotch tape.â
Patrick noted that the real shame is that Kiffinâs comments now undermine the positive things he previously said about his time with Ole Miss. And, to an extent, undermine what he perceived as his personal growth while there.
âI thought Lane Kiffin was being honest. Like, he really had done some work on himself. âHey, you know, I canât leave here. That, you know, thisâ my familyâs here, my ex-wifeâs here, everythingâs great here.â And then all of a sudden itâs like, âYeah, Iâm out of here.â And if youâre using racism as one of the reasons, when did you find out about this? When did grandparents tell you about this, or parents tell you about this? Seems convenient that now youâre leaving. Thatâs unfortunate. Really is.â
LSU and Ole Miss will tangle in Oxford on Sept. 19. Itâs gonna be must-see TV.
The post Dan Patrick: âI wish Lane [Kiffin] would take the high roadâ with Ole Miss appeared first on Awful Announcing.