Lane Kiffin became arguably the most hated man in college football when he decided to ditch his former team, Ole Miss, in the middle of their thrilling Playoff run, which was among the best the program ever saw. He joined the LSU Tigers.
Many analysts and Rebels writers ridiculed Kiffin for his decision, even calling him a “h*e” and labeling him “selfish.” Kiffin made his decision to leave Ole Miss after the Egg Bowl win.
The LSU head coach had also shared that while he missed his dad before making the big decision, he was going to call a couple of people to get their opinions, one of whom was Nick Saban.
“I told the story at the press conference, but I was torn. And when I called Coach Saban and talked it through with him, he said: ‘You know, Lane, you’ll always regret if you don’t go to LSU — it’s the best job in America,’” Kiffin said on Tuesday while speaking at “The Leadership Power Breakfast,” according to WAFB Channel 9’s Jacques Doucet.
“And when he said that, it really made the decision for me. And as I’ve looked at it, it has pushed me, it has gotten me out of a comfort zone. That we were doing amazing things (at Ole Miss), but you come here and you feel the power of the place, and it drives you every day to even go to another level. When he said that, that really made the decision for me,” Kiffin concluded.
Paul Finebaum Makes Blunt Prediction on Lane Kiffin’s Reaction to Ole Miss Losing CFP Game
The Ole Miss team faced a lot of adversities going into the college football playoffs this year, especially with their head coach gone.
The Rebels had a thrilling start to their Playoff journey with the win over Tulane. While that was predicted, not many saw them winning over Georgia in the quarterfinals.
Pete Golding and company then lost to Miami in the Fiesta Bowl in a 31-27 matchup, after which Paul Finebaum predicted Kiffin’s reaction.
“I think deep down, he had to be very relieved,” Finebaum said on The Matt Barrie Show. “I’m not going to be so cynical to think that he would root against Ole Miss. I don’t think he would. I think it’s a part of who he is. But the idea that Ole Miss is playing for national championship, I think from a Lane Kiffin standpoint, probably made his next week and a half a lot easier, because that story just died. It died in the desert, and, quite frankly, it probably should have.”
Kiffin left for LSU for a $91M deal for six years.
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