Lane Kiffin reacts to the Rebels showing him the door before coming to the CFP

Lane Kiffin gave his thoughts on Ole Miss Rebel football program showing him the door before securing a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Kiffin accepted an offer to become the next head coach of the LSU Tigers, another SEC opponent. This came as the Rebels were on the brink of a showdown with the CFP after the regular season ended.

Kiffin wanted to finish the season before transferring to LSU for 2026 and beyond. However, the Rebels rejected that suggestion and released him to the Tigers while they appointed an interim coach until the end of the year.

LSU’s new coach reflected on the events during an interview with ESPN’s Marty Smith. He wanted to make things work with the Rebels when it came to postseason action, but the Ole Miss administration wasn’t willing to go down that road.

“We’ve been trying to find a way to make this work and coach the team, give them the best chance to win … Maybe all the nationals understand why he should let me coach, but he has to live here and it’s a little different when you’re the AD,” Kiffin said.

Lane Kiffin, do @MartySmithESPN

“We’ve been trying to find a way to make this work and to coach the team, to give them the best chance to win… Maybe all the national people understand why he should let me coach, but he has to live here and it’s a bit different when you’re the AD…”… pic.twitter.com/kNh9OsMJUz

— Trey Wallace (@TreiWallace_) November 30, 2025

What’s next for Ole Miss after the Lane Kiffin era ends

It was a chaotic end to the Lane Kiffin era at Ole Miss. They were hoping for a scenario where he would stick around and lead them to CFP glory. However, the ending was completely opposite as they will have to move forward.

Kiffin leaves the Rebels after six seasons, ending his tenure with a 55-19 record (32-17 SEC) that included a 3-2 mark in bowl games. The program shined as one of the best in the country, making their case for the CFP solid.

Ole Miss finished the 2025 regular season 11-1, going 7-1 in its SEC matches. They finished third in the conference standings, behind Georgia and Alabama, as they failed to make the conference championship game.

The No. 6 Rebels will look forward to seeing their place in the CFP despite Kiffin’s departure. The worst case scenario is that they will have a quality bowl game.