The Ole Miss Rebels had arguably the most tumultuous season. In the early stretch, Lane Kiffin showed college football the powerhouse program that he had built. The Rebels were undeniably dominant.
Throughout the season, Kiffin was involved in rumors about leaving Ole Miss for other programs. He kept the same stance every time he was asked about it. Kiffin repeatedly stated that he was solely focused on the Rebels’ season.
His team qualified for the playoffs. And just days before their first playoff game, Kiffin left Ole Miss to join the LSU Tigers. In the middle of one of their most successful seasons, the Rebels were left without a head coach.
Kiffin was criticized for his decision to leave abruptly. Fans wondered what the players might be going through and whether they would be able to perform at the same level after that. The Rebels surprised everyone with their resilience.
On a recent episode of The Joel Klatt Show, the college football analyst said that he has a lot of respect for the Rebels’ locker room for the way they handled that situation.
“As a competitor and a former competitor, I have immense respect for what Ole Miss and those players were able to do,” he SAID. “The trust is broken and fractured… That’s hard, because a lot of team building centers around trust. So who do they trust? They trust each other.”
Against all odds, the Rebels made it to the semifinal. Under Pete Golding’s guidance, who was promoted from his defensive coordinator role, the Rebels showed no signs of struggle during their playoff run.
They ended up losing 27-31 to the Miami Hurricanes, but the Rebels left a lasting impression on everyone who watched their postseason run.
Lane Kiffin Wanted to Coach Through the Playoffs
Kiffin was destined to leave Ole Miss. He had garnered a lot of attention from other programs because of how effective he was with the Rebels despite limited resources. But no one expected him to leave right before the playoffs.
Amid all the criticism that he was facing, he released a statement detailing the conversation he had with Keith Carter. He also revealed that he wanted to coach the team through the playoffs.
“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.”
“My request to do so was denied by Keith Carter despite the team also asking him to allow me to keep coaching them so they could better maintain their high level of performance. Unfortunately, that means Friday’s Egg Bowl was my last game coaching the Rebels,” he wrote.
Kiffin still supported the Rebels throughout the playoffs and made a lot of money through their success.
Read More:
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