Lane Kiffin Channeled Late Father Monte While Deciding to Accept LSU Job

It’s been a whirlwind three days for Lane Kiffin, but the new LSU football coach is steadfast in his decision to leave Ole Miss after six years — in part, he revealed, because of his late father.

“Over the past few weeks, and especially the past few days, trying to figure out this decision, I really tried to channel my dad,” Kiffin said during his introductory press conference on Monday, December 1. “And I thought of when I spoke at his funeral. And when I spoke, it occurred to me as I was writing that speech: I never understood why as a kid we moved so much. And I realized we had moved 17 times. But during that funeral and during that week when he passed, the amount of people that reached out to me.. was amazing.”

He continued, “That happened for a reason. He went to all those different places for a reason. He didn’t stay [in] one place. He went to all those places so he could connect with all those people, impact all those people, be impacted by those people at the different places. So as I thought about that, even with the best six years, it became apparent to me what the decision was.”

Kiffin’s father, Monte Kiffin, died in 2024 at age 84. He coached for more than 50 years between his collegiate and NFL careers, developing a reputation as one of the best defensive minds in football history. Monte ended his career on his son’s staff at Ole MIss, serving as a player personnel analyst from 2020 to 2023.

Lane announced his departure from Ole Miss on Sunday, the day after coaching his team to a win over heated rival Mississippi State in the annual Egg Bowl.

Now, the Rebels are likely to participate in the College Football Playoff. The timing of Lane’s exit has drawn criticism from fans, media, former players and other coaches, as many viewed it as him abandoning his team as it prepares to compete for a national championship.

Lane seemed to allude to the controversy when he called the move “unique,” expressing hope that eventually it would become clearer why he made the decision he did.

“My journey has been unique to say the least, but I believe everything that I have been through has prepared me for this moment at this place right now,” Kiffin said. “I also believe everything happened exactly how it was supposed to happen, when it was supposed to happen, and that will be clear someday.”

Lane’s remarks are not likely to appease Rebels fans, who sent him off to Baton Rouge by vociferously booing and yelling expletives at him from the airport as he boarded the plane.

The coach said he had wanted to continue coaching Ole Miss through the playoff, but athletic director Keith Carter shot the idea down.

“Coach Kiffin and I met yesterday, and he informed us that he is accepting the head coaching position at another school,” said Carter, 49, in a statement released Sunday. “For our program to begin preparing for its future – both the short and long term, he will be stepping away from the team immediately.”