Lane Kiffin was on a roll with the Ole Miss Rebels last season, leading them to their first 11-win campaign in the program’s history. However, he made headlines in November after deciding to leave to become the coach of the LSU Tigers in November.
On Tuesday, LSU’s athletic director, Verge Ausberry, appeared on the “In the Bayou with Tyrann Mathieu” podcast. He was questioned about the reasoning behind the decision to bring in Kiffin as the program’s 34th head coach.
“I watched Lane for a long time. I followed his career and I knew who his daddy was, the great football coach,” Ausberry said. “So, I watched Lane in his career and just making sure it was the right time to get the right guy to lead this program. It takes a special person to lead this program.
“LSU is a two-hand-on-an-18-wheeler type job. …It’s very special, and it takes a special man to lead this program. And it’s a tough program. Expectations here is to win and be in championships. … So, watching Lane throughout the process of what was happening in college football, it just kept coming back to him. The more I looked, the more it came back to him. … It didn’t take long for he to know he was the guy.”
Last season, the LSU Tigers finished with a 7-6 record, failing to make the 12-team playoffs. Brian Kelly was fired midway through the season in October after putting up a 34-13 record in four years.
On the other hand, Lane Kiffin spent six seasons with the Ole Miss Rebels. He put up a 55-19 overall record.
Eli Manning gets honest about Lane Kiffin’s ugly exit from Ole Miss
Retired two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning played for Ole Miss during his collegiate career. Thus, he has kept tabs on his alma mater and the recent exit of Lane Kiffin.
While speaking with the media at the Manning Passing Academy on Monday, the ex-Giants quarterback shared his thoughts on the whole situation.
“It was a great season last year for Ole Miss,” Manning said. “And then a lot of drama through the playoffs with the coaches and Kiffin leaving. So, I think, you know, we’re excited about the program and thankful for Lane and what he did for growing Ole Miss and building that program to where it is today, and we’ve got to continue that.
“Obviously, you know, Ole Miss fans will have that game marked when LSU comes to town. We’ll be watching.”
Lane Kiffin helped the Rebels make the playoffs last season. However, following his departure, Pete Golding served as the interim coach during the postseason. They lost to Miami in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal game.
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