Even on vacation in the Bahamas, Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin couldn’t resist taking a playful jab at Auburn Tigers HC Hugh Freeze. Kiffin, known for his sharp wit and social media antics, found time to keep the rivalry alive while unwinding in paradise.
Lane Kiffin Playfully Calls Out Hugh Freeze During Bahamas Vacation
Kiffin is trying his best to keep his rivalry alive with Freeze. Their relationship dates back to February 2022 when Freeze was coaching the Liberty Flames football, and he posted a tweet with a big dolphin fish with the caption “Yahtzee.”
However, Kiffin responded to his tweet, a couple of days later, holding the same fish with the caption “@SEC IT JUST MEANS MORE.” Since then, both of them never lost an opportunity to take shots at each other.
Kiffin recently went out fishing during his Bahamas vacation, and he didn’t forget to follow his ritual of getting back at Freeze. Ole Miss HC took a shirtless picture of himself with the prized fish in his hands.
“What ya got @coachhughfreeze,” he wrote in the caption of the IG story.
The rivalry between Kiffin and Freeze extends more than their deep-sea fishing adventures. Last year in September, Kiffin even received a compliment from his arch-nemesis Freeze, when they were present at the same press conference.
The Tigers HC was quite impressed by Ole Miss’s NIL setup and especially The Grove Collective.
“I think in the new world, that’s become harder and harder to do and you’re constantly searching ways with this new way of transferring and NIL to figure out exactly how to do it. I think there’s some who are doing it well, if you look at like Ole Miss and Missouri,” Freeze said.
Kiffin took the compliment in stride but didn’t miss the chance to throw a subtle dig at Freeze. He reminded everyone how the Auburn HC previously poached longtime Ole Miss staffer Derrick Nix to be his offensive coordinator.
Now, Kiffin is keeping a watchful eye, wary that Freeze might try a similar move with Walker Jones, the executive director of the Rebels’ The Grove Collective.
“That is nice of Coach Freeze to complement our management of our collective,” Kiffin responded. “I’m sure he’ll [Freeze] try to steal Walker Jones like he’s tried all of our coaches also.”
Kiffin Missed Out on Being the Tigers’ Head Coach
Lane Kiffin almost chose to take on the job of the head coach at Auburn at the end of the 2022 season. However, he didn’t want to do it at the expense of his daughter Landry, per an ESPN report back in August 2024.
So, when he was leaning in to grab the opportunity, Landry reportedly stopped him with a heartfelt message to her father.
“You left me one time for another job when you went to Alabama, and now I’m here with you and you’re going to do it again?” she asked her father.
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Kiffin’s oldest daughter is a sophomore at Ole Miss after moving to Oxford in the senior of her high school to be close to her father. So, she did not appreciate her dad moving to Auburn, and leaving her behind.
Landry Kiffin and her friends went the extra mile, creating a heartfelt slideshow for Lane Kiffin filled with memories of their time together at Ole Miss. Around that time, the school locked in a deal with Kiffin, initially signing him to a six-month contract in November 2022.
The commitment only grew stronger, leading to an extension in December 2023. Now, Kiffin is set to earn a hefty $9 million per year, keeping him in Oxford through the 2029 season.
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