Lane Kiffin Says He Left Ole Miss for a School Known for Its "Excellence" in Sports
"I am incredibly honored to have the opportunity to lead the storied LSU Football program."
Published Dec. 1 2025, 1:00 p.m. ET
The rumors leading up to former University of Mississippi head coach Lane Kiffin leaving the team claimed that he had plans to leave Ole Miss after six years as head coach and move on to another school. And then, on Nov. 30, 2025, he confirmed as much in a statement on X (formerly Twitter). So, what did Lane Kiffin say about why he left Ole Miss, and what have fans said about his decision?
Although the regular 2025–2026 football season had just ended for the Rebels at Ole Miss at the time of Lane's announcement, the rumors became a reality amid his announcement. Lane had originally joined Ole Miss as the head coach in late 2019. Before the Rebels, Lane had led the Florida Atlantic Owls. After he left Ole Miss, his plans involved moving on to another D1 college.
Why did Lane Kiffin leave the University of Mississippi for Louisiana State University?
Per Athlon Sports, there were rumors about Lane leaving his role after six seasons with the Revels. However, it wasn't until the weekend after Thanksgiving 2025 that Lane finally confirmed his exit in an official statement on social media. Just two days after the Rebels' final regular-season game on Nov. 28, 2025, Lane announced on X that the rumors were true and he would be leaving Ole Miss to head to Louisiana State University.
"After a lot of prayer and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision to accept the head coaching position at LSU," he wrote. "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."
He added that Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter "denied" that request. For Lane, his exit from Ole Miss as the Rebels' head coach was about accepting a new position at another top-ranked school for football. He also wrote in his statement that he will continue rooting for the Rebels as he begins a new chapter at LSU.
Lane also shared posts on his Instagram Stories from media companies with his official quotes about why he left for LSU. One he shared said that Lane said LSU is known for "excellence" and that it is "among the most powerful brands in all of sports."
Ole Miss fans think they know why Lane Kiffin left.
Although Lane explained in his statement that he left the Rebels and Ole Miss for LSU, sports fans shared more details in a Reddit thread about their theories on why he wanted a change with another team despite his success with the Rebels. One user commented that they believe LSU has a "more prestigious program" than Ole Miss.
Another commented to add, "at LSU he also has his pick of the best players in Louisiana and Houston, with very little competition." They also commented that LSU provides more "financial security" for Lane. Although he has not said as much himself, clearly, whatever LSU offered him was lucrative enough for him to leave Ole Miss.