Timeline of Lane Kiffin’s decision: How he ended up at LSU over Ole Miss

In many ways, Lane Kiffin’s path to Sunday’s seismic decision to leave Ole Miss for LSU began on an airport tarmac in the early morning hours of Sept. 29, 2013. That’s when he lost the chance to lead a program defined by three letters synonymous with gridiron greatness.

More than 12 years after that humbling and iconic flameout at USC, Kiffin’s climb back into college football’s ruling class is complete. What makes his jump to LSU so stunning is that he was on the verge of taking Ole Miss up the same mountain programs like USC and LSU inhabit.

Instead of continuing that ascent with the playoff-bound Rebels, who are in prime position to host a College Football Playoff game, he’s cashing out in Mississippi and hoping to accelerate his chase for a national title by walking away from a legitimate shot at one right under his nose. The move will reverberate across college football and has already opened the door for other dominoes on the coaching carousel to fall.

For Kiffin, it’s simply the latest eyebrow-raising turn in a career that has never followed a conventional script. More on that later, but first, here’s the timeline of events from the past couple of months that led to Kiffin’s move.

Sept. 24 Kiffin documentary released

Kiffin scored a PR victory with the release of ESPN’s “The Many Lives of Lane Kiffin.” The one-hour special walked viewers through Kiffin’s circuitous coaching journey and painted the picture of a matured leader at peace with himself and in tune with his family. The documentary begins with Kiffin in a yoga class and the instructor requesting participants to enter a “child’s pose.”

Some would argue Kiffin has spent his entire career in a child’s pose. But the scene illustrated the disciplined approach to all-around wellness — yoga as a key element — that Kiffin discovered at Ole Miss.

“It’s taught me to get really uncomfortable and sit in it,” he says in the opening scene. “And that’s life. If you’re going to do it really well, you better to learn to get uncomfortable and sit in it instead of running from it. For a lot of times in my life, I ran from things that were uncomfortable. You’ve got to sit in it.”

Sept. 27: Ole Miss beats LSU

Ole Miss beat then-No. 4 LSU 24-19, exposing cracks in the Tigers that would eventually lead to a coaching change in Baton Rouge. The outcome also meant that Kiffin got the best of his daughter’s boyfriend, LSU star linebacker Whit Weeks.

Oct. 1: Kiffin speaks on his love for Steve Spurrier

Florida fans anticipating a coaching search following a 1-3 start were likely delighted to hear Kiffin express his admiration for Steve Spurrier in a “Pardon My Take” appearance. 

“I watched him and his offenses and the visor and kind of the way he’d throw jabs at other coaches and teams and stuff,” Kiffin said. “I was like, ‘Steve Spurrier is the man. That’s what I want to be.’ So that’s where I started the visor thing and probably started some of the comments, maybe, of some other programs too.”

Oct. 19: Florida fires Billy Napier, eyes Kiffin

While Billy Napier’s Oct. 19 firing marked the date that the Florida job officially came open, Kiffin had been pegged as a potential candidate long before Napier was formally given the pink slip. CBS Sports’ John Talty reported that Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin was “doing his due diligence” on Kiffin and making calls to those around him.

Oct. 25: Ole Miss beats Oklahoma

A week after suffering their first loss on the road at Georgia — and with Kiffin’s name being floated for the Florida opening — Ole Miss picked up a massive road win over then-No. 13 Oklahoma. The victory pushed the Rebels to 7-1 and kept their path to the CFP clear. It also made the timing around Kiffin taking another job far murkier, as no coach had ever left a team before a CFP game in the playoff era.

Oct. 26: LSU fires Brian Kelly, eyes Kiffin

After falling to 5-3 with a listless 49-25 home loss to Texas A&M, LSU fired coach Brian Kelly midway through his fourth season. Sportsline oddsmakers tabbed Kiffin as the favorite to land the job at +200. He landed atop the CBS Sports candidates list for the opening, with Chris Hummer noting that he “is the most popular name when you talk with industry sources about potential replacements in Baton Rouge.”

Oct. 27: Kiffin claims he isn’t motivated by money

In an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Kiffin clarified that one specific factor wouldn’t be his motivation during the 2025 coaching carousel.

“I’ve seen too many examples in life where money does not buy happiness,” he said. “So I’m never going to make a decision off of money, nor do I care about it.”

Oct. 29-Nov.4: LSU’s instability on display

Political turmoil and administrative instability at LSU spilled out into the open in the days after Brian Kelly’s firing. Governor Jeff Landry turned heads when he told reporters that athletic director Scott Woodward would not make the hire to replace Brian Kelly. Landry threw shade at Woodward’s “pattern” of offering big contracts to coaches resulting in massive buyouts. Woodward was ultimately fired.

Landry said the university’s Board of Supervisors would run the search, although the board’s chairman was initially unaware of that plan. There was also confusion about whether Verge Ausberry would be promoted to the full-time athletic director role (he has been). A new university system president and LSU chancellor were also announced in the first week of November, adding to LSU’s image as an institution in flux.

Nov. 10: Kiffin explains the allure of a “blue blood”

Kiffin explained how the shifting sands of college football in the NIL and transfer portal era have altered the perception of what makes a “good job.” It’s less about facilities now, and any program that is willing and able to spend big can compete, he explained. But, as Kiffin articulated, there is still a difference between the traditional powers — programs like Florida and LSU — and those below them in the historical hierarchy.

“There are still things where you’re gonna struggle to beat those guys because kids get recruited, and they see the size of stadiums, traditions, Heismans and national championships,” he said. “Then your location to talent. I think all of those are in there.”

Nov. 15: Ole Miss beats Florida 

A record crowd of 68,138 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium watched Ole Miss beat Florida, one of Kiffin’s primary suitors. Chants of “We want Lane” rang out as the Rebels improved to 10-1. Kiffin was noncommittal about his future after the game.

“I love what we’re doing here,” he said. “Today was awesome. I don’t talk about that stuff. Really, to even talk about it right now would be disrespectful to our players and to how well they played today. So, you know, we got a lot of things going here, doing really well. And I love it here.”

Nov. 16-17: Kiffin’s family makes trips to Florida, LSU

Members of Kiffin’s family visited Gainesville, Florida and Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Nov. 16 and 17, respectively. It was a striking sign of just how serious talks were getting between Kiffin and the two SEC schools pursuing him.

Asked later what his family learned on the trips, Kiffin was not forthcoming.

“I’m not talking on any speculation or stories of things having to do with other jobs,” Kiffin said. “I’ve said that probably ten times. But I understand you have to ask them.”

Nov. 18: Kiffin denies ultimatum

Following a tense couple days of local and national focus on Kiffin’s future, he attempted to diffuse the situation during a highly anticipated appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show.” The pre-recorded segment featured an appearance from star running back Kewan Lacy and was laughably light on substantive talk about the topics on everyone’s mind. However, did Kiffin did use the appearance to refute that he was given an ultimatum by Ole Miss about deciding his future before the Egg Bowl game against Mississippi State.

“That’s absolutely not true, anything like that at all … I don’t know where that came from,” Kiffin said. “I love it here. We’re having blast. It just couldn’t be better. You pray for things. Our fans prayed for this type of thing, now we’re in the middle of it, so enjoy it.”

Nov. 21: Kiffin and Carter meet

Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter and chancellor Glenn Boyce met with Kiffin, but the meeting produced no resolution on his future. The public-facing result of their discussion was a statement from Carter suggesting clarity on Kiffin’s future would come the day after the Egg Bowl.

“Coach Kiffin and I have had many pointed and positive conversations regarding his future at Ole Miss, including meeting today with Chancellor Boyce,” the statement said. “While we discuss next steps, we know we cannot lose sight of what is most important — our sixth-ranked team that is poised to finish the regular season in historic fashion.

“Despite the outside noise, Coach Kiffin is focused on preparing our team for the Egg Bowl, and together, we want to ensure that our players and coaches can concentrate fully on next Friday’s game. This team is on the cusp of an unprecedented season, and it’s imperative they feel the support of the Ole Miss family in the week ahead. An announcement on Coach Kiffin’s future is expected the Saturday following the game.”

Nov. 22: LSU’s offer details emerge

Details of LSU’s potential offer emerged, as CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello reported the Tigers were prepared to pay Kiffin as much as $98 million over seven years. A deal of that size would put Kiffin on par with two-time national champion Kirby Smart in the race to become college football’s highest-paid coach.

Nov. 28: Tense week culminates with no answer

A tense week culminated with Ole Miss cruising to a 38-19 win at rival Mississippi State behind four touchdown passes from quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. The win improved the Rebels to 11-1 (7-1 SEC), putting them in excellent position to host a first round College Football Playoff game. However, Kiffin remained noncommittal about his future after the game.

“I’ve got a lot of praying to do to figure that out tomorrow,” he told ESPN. “Right now, I’m just going to enjoy these players. I told them last night, ‘you’re going to win your 11th game, and all I want to do is experience joy watching you.’ That’s what I’m about to do.”

Nov. 29-30: Kiffin’s Ole Miss tenure ends in chaos

Kiffin met with Ole Miss leadership the day after the Egg Bowl as it became more apparent that he intended to leave for LSU. However, Kiffin wanted clearance to continue coaching the Rebels through the postseason. The idea that was met with understandable hesitancy from the Ole Miss administration. 

As the hours ticked by Saturday night, it became more and more appearant no decision would be announced from either party. A team meeting was scheduled a meeting for 9 a.m. Sunday, then pushed back to 1 p.m. as all sides sorted through the complicated logistics of an increasingly messy breakup. 

A report from Brett McMurphy suggested Kiffin threatened to poach the Rebels’ staff and roster if he wasn’t allowed to continue coaching.

At 2:03 p.m. Central on Sunday, Kiffin finally announced his decision to leave Ole Miss for LSU with a statement posted to X. In it, he claimed that he and the team asked for Kiffin be allowed to continue coaching but that athletic director Keith Carter denied the request.

Nov. 30: Pete Golding elevated to full-time head coach

Shortly after Kiffin’s announcement, Ole Miss announced the elevation of defensive coordinator Pete Golding to be the program’s next full-time head coach. Golding was in his third season as the program’s DC after previously holding the same position at Alabama. He played his college football down the road at Delta State and is regarded as a strong recruiter and defensive tactician.

“His tenure will begin immediately as he leads our program in the pursuit of a national title,” Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter said. “Today’s team meeting was a clear indicator of his ability to galvanize our squad. All of our players and coaches are ecstatic and ready to lock arms for a playoff run.”

Abandoning Tennessee

Leaving Ole Miss as the Rebels prepare for the CFP is par for the course for Kiffin, a 50-year old known to many college football fans as the sport’s preeminent social media troll. As hard as he’s tried to recast himself as a wiser and more disciplined coach, disregarding present opportunities for the shiny allure of future glory has long been atop Kiffin’s play sheet. 

Kiffin was on his way to rebuilding Tennessee when he left in January of 2010 after one season for USC, apparently naive to the fact that the Trojans were about to be hit with significant NCAA sanctions. Those sanctions ultimately proved fatal in his quest to recreate the USC glory days he helped foster as an assistant under Pete Carroll.

Not a great juggler

After Kiffin was kicked to the curb by the Trojans after a 3-2 start in 2013, he landed as Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator at Alabama. Kiffin brought an offensive renaissance to the Crimson Tide. But after accepting the FAU head coaching job during Alabama’s 2016 postseason run, he struggled to devote the attention required to the Crimson Tide’s national championship chase. Saban sent Kiffin packing for FAU just before the program’s national title game loss to Clemson.

After accepting the Ole Miss job at the end of the 2019 season, his third at FAU, Kiffin did not stick around to coach the Owls in their Boca Raton Bowl victory over SMU. He was off to the next thing at Ole Miss.