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Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter has refuted several claims made by former head coach Lane Kiffin regarding his tumultuous departure for LSU.
On Wednesday, Carter delivered his first public comments since Kiffin was named the Tigers’ next head coach. Carter’s comments appeared to be consistent with offensive lineman Brycen Sanders and other players’ rebuttals to Kiffin’s account of the events leading up to his release.
One of Carter’s sticking points centered around when Kiffin learned he would be barred from coaching Ole Miss in a possible College Football Playoff. “A lot of things that have been made public that I’m not sure are completely accurate,” Carter told SuperTalk Mississippi.
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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)
Carter clarified that Kiffin and his representative were given several weeks’ notice that dragging the Rebels into any potential playoff game was in fact a failure.
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Had Ole Miss had the opportunity to compete for the program’s first-ever SEC championship, Carter suggested he would have been open to further discussions about the possibility of Kiffin coaching in Atlanta.
“It was very clear that coaching in the playoffs was not going to be an option for Coach Kiffin several weeks ago,” Carter told host Richard Cross.
Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin watches the fourth quarter against the Georgia State Panthers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on August 30, 2024. (Pierre Thomas/Imagn Images)
In a farewell message, Kiffin wrote that he was 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.”
Sanders quickly refuted Kiffin’s account, citing his X post. “‘Even though the team asked me to continue coaching.’ I think everyone who was in this room would disagree,” Sanders posted. It should be noted that Sanders misquoted Kiffin.
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)
Other Ole Miss players also chimed in, saying, “Let them know. Every single person,” fellow offensive lineman Jayden Williams said in response to Sanders’ post.
Carter added that Kiffin told him Saturday night he would take the LSU job. Ole Miss then elevated defensive coordinator Pete Golding to head coach.
