Lane Kiffin officially announced he’s leaving Ole Miss to become LSU’s head coach, ending speculation that dominated college football this week.
Kiffin made the announcement on social media after days of rumors.
“After a lot of prayer and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision to accept the head coaching position at LSU.”
The timing creates chaos for Ole Miss’s College Football Playoff preparations. Kiffin said he wanted to coach the Rebels through the CFP but athletic director Keith Carter denied the request.
This happened despite player support for Kiffin to stay through the playoffs.
Kiffin expressed frustration with the decision in his statement. He said he’ll be rooting for his former team to win their first national championship since the 1960s under Johnny Vaught.
Reports suggest Kiffin gave his assistant coaches an ultimatum about joining him in Baton Rouge.
Pete Golding will take over as head coach for the CFP, according to Ole Miss’s announcement.
The designation is noteworthy. Ole Miss called Golding the “head coach” rather than “interim head coach,” suggesting a permanent appointment.
Golding has served as defensive coordinator under Kiffin for years. He now faces the challenge of preparing the team for the playoffs amid the coaching transition.
The coaching change could impact Ole Miss’s CFP seeding when rankings are released Tuesday.
Ole Miss hasn’t won a national championship since the 1960s. The Rebels were hoping Kiffin would lead that pursuit after building one of the program’s most successful recent seasons.
