Lane Kiffin is not waiting around for the boos to start in Oxford.
Before LSU’s matchup with Ole Miss on Saturday, Kiffin brought in a little preview of the atmosphere his team should expect, inviting LSU students and “fraternity bros” to heckle the Tigers during practice. Pat McAfee said Friday on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” that Kiffin did it to help LSU get ready for the kind of crowd noise and venom that figures to come its way.
McAfee also showed a video he said had been “making its way around college football circles.” In the clip, LSU players and Kiffin walk onto the practice field while students crowd around them, shouting and holding signs with all kinds of vulgarity.
One sign read, “See you in court,” next to a picture of LSU edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen. Ole Miss is suing Umanmielen for allegedly breaking a revenue-sharing contract when he transferred from Ole Miss to LSU. He was reportedly served with court papers Tuesday while outside of the LSU team facility.
Another sign featured a picture of Kiffin with the words “Lane whenever Sam drops back,” a reference to starting quarterback Sam Leavitt.
“Man, that’s crazy,” running back Caden Durham said in the clip.
Kiffin didn’t look bothered. The video showed him pumping his fists and high-fiving a student as he walked by.
The setup makes sense considering what awaits LSU in Oxford. Kiffin left Ole Miss in November, just as the team was preparing for its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance, and he did it in a way that clearly hasn’t sat well with the fan base.
During six seasons in Oxford, Kiffin helped deliver one of the strongest stretches in Ole Miss history, including four 10-win seasons. But now he returns as the opposing coach, and the reception should be plenty loud.
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Lane Kiffin Just Added More Heat To LSU's Ole Miss Rivalry
Few SEC matchups carry as much history as LSU and Ole Miss, a rivalry that dates to 1894 and has grown into the Magnolia Bowl since 2008. The Tigers have controlled the series overall, leading 64-44-4, and the annual meeting has produced its share of memorable nights, from the 1959 Halloween game to the famed 1972 contest known as The Night Time Stood Still.
Recent history has leaned LSUs way, too, including a comeback win in 2024 that only added to the edge between the programs. With Lane Kiffin now adding more heat to the conversation, the next chapter in this long-running feud has plenty of built-in tension before anyone even steps on the field. [Read more 🡒]
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For LSU, it is an early measuring-stick road trip in a league that rarely gives anyone much breathing room. The week also features other ranked games such as Texas Tech at Houston and SMU at Louisville, but the Tigers and Rebels are the ones getting the showcase treatment, a sign that this one already feels like it could shape the national conversation before the SEC schedule is even fully settled in. [Read more 🡒]