Things between Ole Miss and head coach Lane Kiffin have taken a turn.
As most people were going to sleep Saturday night Kiffin had yet to officially make a decision about whether he was leaving the school to join LSU after a lengthy meeting at the home of athletic director Keith Carter.
But in the wee hours of the morning, multiple reports from ESPN and On3 indicated that Kiffin intends to take the LSU job and an announcement is expected Sunday morning. Kiffin is expected to inform his Ole Miss players of his decision before that announcement.
And while that’s the outcome most expected, there is a new wrinkle in the situation according to On3’s Brett McMurphy.
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“Lane Kiffin is ‘essentially demanding to finish the season (w/Ole Miss) while simultaneously threatening to poach’ Ole Miss’ roster & staff if he can’t, source told @On3sports,” McMurphy posted on X.
A source told McMurphy: “It’s unfortunately gotten even messier than expected as emotions are high.”
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On3 and 247Sports reported on Saturday that if Kiffin left Ole Miss, the school would refuse to let him finish coaching the rest of the season and intended to let quarterbacks coach Joe Judge coach in the College Football Playoff.
But now it seems Kiffin is trying to leverage the fact that No. 7 Ole Miss has a chance to go far in the CFP, and the team’s best chance at winning a national championship is with him calling the shots.
When Kiffin announces he’s going to LSU, there will likely be a mass exodus from the Ole Miss roster following him to Baton Rouge. If that announcement comes on Sunday and Kiffin completely severs ties with the program, there’s a good chance the Rebels’ roster would take a big hit right before the CFP of players hitting the transfer portal.
Kiffin is expected to sign a contract with LSU in the neighborhood of $98 million with a $25 million investment being made in NIL funding and recruiting.
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