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Lane Kiffin said in his farewell post from Ole Miss that the team’s players asked athletic director Keith Carter to let him stay, but that claim is refuted by a departing rebel.
Kiffin said in his post that he asked to “finish a historic six-season run with this year’s team by leading Ole Miss to the playoffs,” but Carter denied it “although the team also asked him to allow me to continue coaching.”
Starting center Brycen Sanders called Kiffin outright, citing his X post.
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Ole Miss Rebels offensive lineman Brycen Sanders during the college football game between the LSU Tigers and Ole Miss Rebels on September 27, 2025, at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi. (Andy Altenburger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“‘Even though the team asked me to continue coaching.’ I think everyone who was in this room would disagree,” Sanders posted.
It’s worth noting that Sanders misquoted Kiffin, but it’s clear how some players feel about Kiffin’s departure and position.
“Let them know. Every single person,” fellow offensive lineman Jayden Williams said in response to Sanders’ message.
Added linebacker Suntarine Perkins: “That’s not the message you said in the meeting room. Everyone who was there can attest to that.”
Kiffin left the Rebels for LSU after weeks of speculation. He was introduced as the team’s head coach on Monday, a day after he was booed as he boarded a private jet from Oxford.
Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin in the fourth quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on November 2, 2024. (Nelson Chenault/Imagn Images)
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Kiffin’s offensive coordinator, Charlie Weis Jr., left Ole Miss to stay with Kiffin, but he will continue to coach Ole Miss through the College Football Playoff.
“We went through a lot last night with [Ole Miss athletic director] Keith Carter is trying to find a way to make this playoffs work and be able to coach the team. And at the end of the day, it’s his decision and I totally respect it. I understand this decision”, Kiffin told ESPN on Carter’s choice not to let him finish the season as coach of the Rebels. “I just wish the team good luck, I would love to be a coach…I just hope they play really well and win the national championship.”
Kiffin is expected to make $13 million per season with the Tigers, which would make him the second-highest paid college coach in the country behind Kirby Smart of Georgia.
LSU head football coach Lane Kiffin speaks at the South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium on December 1, 2025 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Matthew Hinton/Imagn Images)
Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding was named head coach to replace Kiffin at Oxford.
