It was an eventful first day on the job for new LSU head football coach Lane Kiffin.
It started with Kiffin waking up in his former home of Oxford, Mississippi, planning to attend a meeting to say goodbye to a team that he just led to a school best 11-1 record.
The meeting was set to start at 9 AM, but it was pushed back an hour, and then it took place at 3 PM. But by then, Kiffin was on his way to Baton Rouge, not allowed to attend the meeting as Ole Miss and Kiffin could not come to a cordial end to their relationship.
Before Kiffin got on the plane, he spoke with ESPN’s Marty Smith about why he left the Rebels.
"My heart was here [at Ole Miss]," Kiffin told ESPN. "But I talked to some mentors -- Coach Carroll, Coach Saban. Especially when Coach Carroll said, 'Your dad would tell you to go. Take the shot.'
"I always hated how we gave it one year at Tennessee and left. I hated that feeling of that. I think we gave a lot to this program and to this city and some of those historic wins in this stadium, best regular season in the history of the school. So, I am proud of that part. But it just became time. I talked to God, and he told me it is time to take a new step. It's a new chapter."
And then when he walked onto the plane, Ole Miss fans, who gathered at the fence surrounding the airport, serenaded Kiffin with a variety of curse words and a lot of number one gestures with the middle finger.
But when Kiffin arrived in Baton Rouge, it was a completely different atmosphere. He was met by his new boss, athletic director Verge Ausberry, and as he arrived at the LSU football operations building, Tiger fans lined the streets chanting LSU as his vehicle drove by and Kiffin pumped his fist out the window.
According to Lane, if Ole Miss allowed him to coach the team in the college football playoffs, he would not have raided the Rebels’ staff. Since that did not happen, Kiffin showed no mercy when it came to Ole Miss assistants he brought to Baton Rouge.
According to CBS Sports college football reporter Matt Zenitz, Ole Miss assistants expected to go to LSU include offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr, co-offensive coordinator Joe Cox, wide receivers coach George McDonald, general manager Billy Glasscock, and head strength and conditioning coach Nick Savage.
From the street outside of the football operations building, you can see into the head football coach’s office if the blinds are open.
WBRZ-TV sports director Michael Cauble got a shot of Kiffin talking with interim head coach Frank Wilson. It is unclear what role Wilson may have on Kiffin’s staff, but he is an important man now because he is the recruiting coordinator, and the early signing period begins Wednesday.
Speaking of recruiting, Kiffin took a photo with the nation’s top prospect for the Class of 2026, defensive lineman Lamar Brown. He is committed to LSU, despite Texas A&M’s best efforts.
Related
Brown, who attends University High in Baton Rouge, helped the Cubs reach the semifinals of the Division II select playoffs. Brown had a big night on Friday. He recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown and his strip sack secured a victory over Madison Prep in the quarterfinals.
Also, five-star defensive tackle Richard Anderson from Edna Karr High School has shut down his recruitment and plans to sign with LSU on Wednesday now that Kiffin is the head coach.
What a day for the Lane Kiffin family, LSU fans, Ole Miss supporters, and the college football world.
December 24, 2004, will always be a sad day. That is when Nick Saban left LSU and accepted the head coaching job with the Miami Dolphins.
That day will always sting for LSU fans, but maybe November 30, 2025, will be the first of many great days for LSU football with Kiffin at the helm.