Lane Kiffin received a lot of backlash for the way he left the Ole Miss Rebels last year. He helped the program qualify for the 12-team playoffs. However, in November, Kiffin finalized his decision to join the LSU Tigers as their 34th head coach. This left Pete Golding taking charge of the Rebels, while they finished with a Fiesta Bowl semifinal loss to Miami.
On Thursday’s episode of the “Pat McAfee Show,” retired Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban took a jab at Kiffin ahead of his debut with the LSU Tigers. The seven-time national champion claimed that Kiffin would break his boo record when he returns to Oxford and leads LSU to face Ole Miss in Week 3.
Thanks for the submission!
“One record I’m going to relinquish, which I’m a little bit disappointed about, is, when I went back to LSU after coming to Alabama, after being in Miami, and they hung me in effigy, burn me in effigy, the whole student section was there chanting FU Nick when I walked on the field with two hours to go before the game,” Saban said.
•
“That was a record for anybody coming back to a place that they had been before. Lane is going to break my boo record when he goes back to Ole Miss this year. That will be blown away. … Because, this will be such a big thing and we’re going to be there to witness it. And I’m kind of looking forward at that.
Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!
Nick Saban served as the coach of LSU from 2000 to 2004, leading them to a national championship during the 2003 season. He then spent two seasons as the coach of the Miami Dolphins before establishing his legacy with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Lane Kiffin, on the other hand, began his collegiate head-coaching journey with Tennessee in 2009. He then spent four seasons with USC (2010 to 2013) and three years with Florida Atlantic (2017 to 2019) before joining Ole Miss in 2020. In six seasons, he put up a 55-19 overall record with the Rebels.
Lane Kiffin shares his thoughts on abrupt Ole Miss exit
Lane Kiffin’s messy exit as the coach of Ole Miss strained his relationship with the program and its fanbase.
During an interview with ESPN on Thursday, he admitted regretting the way he handled that situation. Kiffin also admitted that he should have left immediately instead of fighting with AD Keith Carter to coach the program through the playoffs,
“Yeah, I do,” Kiffin said. “But I think that’s a good thing that I look at life that way now, instead of saying, ‘No, I don’t. I was right.’ I look at things always now, like, how could I have done them better? But it’s also easier when you’re further removed. There’s no emotion involved.
“I wish I would have gone in when I met with Keith and said, ‘I’ve made the decision to go.’ I wish I would have just said, ‘Hey, I’d like to coach the team,’ and he’d say, ‘No,’ and I’d say, ‘Hey, OK, I appreciate it.’ Moved on and never even discussed it again.”
Lane Kiffin will kick off his debut campaign with the Tigers with a Week 1 showdown against Clemson on Sept. 5.
Edited by Priyam Hazarika