Lane Kiffin has had a front-row seat to the Manning family story for years, and now he’s about to see another chapter play out in person.
When LSU hosts Texas on Saturday night, Arch Manning will be back in Louisiana, the state where he played high school football in New Orleans before arriving in Austin as the top-ranked recruit in the class of 2023. For Kiffin, the matchup brings together a lot of old connections: his time at Ole Miss, his earlier run at Tennessee, and his repeated run-ins with a football family that has been part of his coaching orbit for a long time.
Earlier this week, Kiffin was asked about that relationship, and he leaned into the history with a joke.
"If you think about it, I left them twice. You've got to remember the Tennessee part, too, and Peyton, so you probably forgot about that," Kiffin joked.
He was pointing to his exits from Tennessee and Ole Miss, both of which came with controversy. Kiffin said the Mannings have "been awesome, the places I've been, and very supportive while we're there," and added that he still texts with them from time to time.
The family connection has had its awkward moments, too. After Kiffin left for LSU, Archie Manning recorded a Cameo video for an Ole Miss fan and called Kiffin a "narcissistic, jerk coach." The clip spread on social media, and Kiffin said Manning later apologized.
"He actually left me a message right after apologizing, but he got caught up in the moment after I left and thought it was just a Cameo to the people, and called me a few names," Kiffin said. "But that's okay. I've been called worse, and I'm sure I'll be called the same when we go back to Tennessee, just like Ole Miss."
Kiffin also made Arch Manning a real recruiting priority during his Ole Miss tenure. In 2021, he took a "We Want Arch" sign from the crowd before the Rebels played Texas A&M, and he also went to Baton Rouge to watch Manning and Isidore Newman face Episcopal in the state playoffs.
"I went and saw him play one time … and got to see him just have fun with his teammates," Kiffin said.
He also saw the other side of Manning’s rise, and the weight that came with it.
"That's a lot to deal with, even when he was in high school, the expectations and pressure and everything around him," Kiffin said. "When he'd come visit, you kind of see more of the pressure side of what he'd deal with."
Manning ultimately picked Texas and Steve Sarkisian, Kiffin’s longtime friend and former USC co-worker, over Ole Miss. Saturday will be the first time Kiffin coaches against him.
"I really enjoyed the time around Arch. Great kid," Kiffin said. "I think he's an awesome kid, and I hope he does really well, obviously, outside of Saturday."
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The matchup brings specific pressure points into focus, starting with LSUs offense in the red zone, where finishing drives has become a major concern. On the other side, the Tigers will have to find answers for Texas quarterback Arch Manning, because containing him could go a long way toward keeping this one within reach and easing some of the pressure that has built around the program. [Read more 🡒]