Lane Kiffin’s time at Ole Miss is officially over, and it ended with a bang-not the kind Rebels fans were hoping for. On Sunday, the 50-year-old head coach informed the university he was heading to LSU, and just like that, a historic season at Ole Miss took a sharp turn.
Kiffin reportedly made a push to remain with the team through the College Football Playoff, but the school wasn’t having it. Instead, they shut the door on that idea, and Kiffin boarded a plane out of Oxford as frustrated fans voiced their displeasure.
Let’s be clear: Kiffin leaves behind a program that just wrapped up its best regular season ever, finishing 11-1. That’s no small feat in the SEC gauntlet.
But despite that success, he won’t be coaching the Rebels in the postseason. That job now belongs to Pete Golding, who has been elevated to head coach in the wake of Kiffin’s departure.
Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter didn’t mince words when explaining the decision to move on immediately. “Coach Kiffin and I met yesterday, and he informed us that he is accepting the head coaching position at another school,” Carter said. “For our program to begin preparing for its future, both the short and long term, he will be stepping away from the team immediately.”
That’s a tough call, but one that makes sense when you consider the bigger picture. The College Football Playoff isn’t just another bowl game-it’s a defining moment for a program. And Carter made it clear that Ole Miss is focused on what’s next, not what could’ve been.
Enter Pete Golding. A familiar name in SEC coaching circles, Golding now steps into the spotlight with a massive opportunity in front of him. He inherits a team that’s not only talented but battle-tested, and he’ll be tasked with keeping the momentum rolling into the postseason.
Of course, the optics of Kiffin leaving for a direct SEC rival like LSU only add fuel to the fire. This wasn’t just a coaching change-it was a gut punch for a fanbase that had started to believe something special was brewing in Oxford.
And the timing? Brutal.
As one well-known commentator put it, letting Kiffin coach the playoff game after announcing he’s headed to LSU would’ve been like letting your ex stick around for the holidays after they’ve already moved on with someone else. It just doesn’t work.
Pretty good analogy from SVP last night https://t.co/dIpqyS6Vzv pic.twitter.com/LogE3mnzbY
— Jon Tweets Sports (@jontweetssports) December 1, 2025
Now the spotlight shifts to the players. How will they respond?
This is a team that’s been through a whirlwind few weeks, balancing the high of a record-breaking season with the emotional rollercoaster of watching their head coach walk away. The locker room dynamics will be fascinating to watch, and how Golding rallies the group will say a lot about where this program is headed.
One thing’s for sure: Ole Miss isn’t backing down. They’ve made a strong internal hire, they’ve got a playoff berth in hand, and they’re not letting a coaching change derail what could still be a magical postseason run.
The Lane Kiffin era is over in Oxford. What comes next could be just as compelling.