Lane Kiffin has announced that he’s accepted the offer to become head coach of the LSU football program and will be leaving Ole Miss effectively immediately.
The Rebels are coming off a dominating Egg Bowl victory over Mississippi State and are poised to make a College Football Playoff run later this season. Sitting at 11-1, with a 7-1 record in the SEC, Ole Miss was enjoying their best season to date under Kiffin.
However, with the school looking for a final answer from their coach regarding his future, and LSU putting on an all out blitz to acquire him, a decision had to be made, despite Kiffin’s claims that he wanted to finish out the year with the Rebels.
“This was a very challenging, difficult day,” Kiffin told reporters. “We went through a lot last night with [Ole Miss athletic director] Keith Carter trying to figure out a way to make this playoff run work and be able to coach the team. And at the end of the day, that’s his decision and I totally respect that. I understand that decision.”
“I just totally wish the team the best of luck, wish that I was coaching. … I just hope they play really well and go win the national championship.”
According to reports, Kiffin’s new deal with the Tigers is for 7 years, and will carry an AAV of $12M per season with a potential for additional performance bonuses. Those figures instantly put him amongst College Football’s elite in terms of salary.
In his place, Ole Miss has named defensive coordinator Pete Golding as their new head coach. It would appear as though the Rebels will forgo the interim process, and will make him their new permanent head coach right out of the gates.
“Coach Kiffin and I met yesterday, and he informed us that he is accepting the head coaching position at another school,” said Carter. “For our program to begin preparing for its future – both the short and long term, he will be stepping away from the team immediately.”
“With this development, we could not be more excited to announce Pete Golding as the next head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. His tenure will begin immediately as he leads our program in the pursuit of a national title. Today’s team meeting was a clear indicator of his ability to galvanize our squad. All of our players and coaches are ecstatic and ready to lock arms for a playoff run.”
“From the moment he arrived in Oxford, we quickly realized Pete is a coach who could not only lead a program but elevate it to championship status. He has demonstrated an exceptional football mind, but more than that, he has shown a deep understanding of our culture, values and what it means to be part of the Ole Miss family. Simply put, Pete is one of us.”
“Pete’s leadership, relentless energy and proven track record of building top defenses have made a tremendous impact on our program. In addition, he recruits at an elite level and has shown an unwavering commitment to developing young men once they arrive on campus. He brings a vision rooted in toughness, innovation and accountability, and he is fully prepared to guide this program into its next era of success.”
“I want to thank our student-athletes, our staff and Rebel Nation for their patience and support during this process. The future of Ole Miss Football is brighter than ever, and we look forward to taking the next steps in our program’s journey with Pete Golding at the helm.”
The Rebels will now await the final results of the CFP committee’s seeding process before finding out who their first round opponent will be. Heading into their final weekend, Ole Miss was ranked 7th in the nation. And their 38-19 victory over their in-state rivals certainly won’t hurt them when the committee casts their final ballots.
Photo: Bobak Ha’Eri. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.