Lane Kiffin said after Ole Miss football’s 38-19 win over rival Mississippi State on Friday, Nov. 28, that he’d have an answer on his coaching future Nov. 29.
However, that decision by Kiffin, who led the Rebels to an 11-1 finish this season and a likely College Football Playoff berth, did not formally come until Sunday when he was announced as the new LSU coach.
ESPN reported Kiffin has yet to sign the deal that would reportedly pay him $12 million annually.
Although, as Kiffin proved after a resolution to his coaching future didn’t come to fruition on Nov. 29 as he said, things can change. Just ask ESPN’s Marty Smith, who was candid about being in Ole Miss facilities all day Nov. 29, anticipating a decision.
‘I wrote him at 8:46 (p.m.) CT and said, ‘will there be a resolution tonight? Please God and heaven tell me yes,” Smith said late Nov. 29 on SEC Football Now. ‘And he did not write me back.’
Kiffin met with Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter for multiple hours Nov. 29, according to multiple reports. Kiffin was potentially waiting for the conclusion of the Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn, as the Rebels would’ve reached the SEC championship game with a Crimson Tide loss.
ESPN reported it’s unlikely Kiffin coaches Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff, despite the Rebels firmly in the field after finishing 11-1 this season.
The 50-year-old coach was by far the most sought-after commodity of the 2025 carousel after he led Ole Miss to a 55-19 record in six seasons at the helm. He won 10 or more games in four of his six years with the Rebels and finished in the top 13 of the US LBM Coaches Poll three times.
Kiffin was also in the mix for the opening at Florida, although the Gators are expected to hire Tulane’s Jon Sumrall, according to multiple reports.