Lane Kiffin found a new way to stir the pot on Tuesday, and he did it with Ole Miss just 17 days from the season opener.
On the Marty and McGee Show on the SEC Network, the LSU coach took a shot at his old program ahead of a September 19 showdown in Oxford, and he did not hold back.
“There’s never a minute, a second in the day that I’m at LSU that I don’t feel the power of LSU,” Kiffin told Marty Smith and Ryan McGee. “At Ole Miss, you can go 7-5, have 7-5 seasons, and you’re good.
They won’t even complain in the off-season. It’ll still be great.”
Kiffin’s Tigers, ranked No. 13, will face No. 10 Ole Miss in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in prime time at 6:30 p.m. on ABC.
LSU opens the year on Sept. 5 against No. 23 Clemson in Tiger Stadium, also at 6:30 p.m. on ABC.
The comment landed because of who Kiffin was talking about. He coached Ole Miss from 2020-25 and won big there, starting with a 5-5 debut in 2020 after the Rebels had gone 4-8 the year before.
From there, the results stacked up: 10-3, 8-5, 11-2, 10-3 and 11-1 last season. After the regular season, he left for LSU.
Defensive coordinator Pete Golding then took over, won two playoff games and pushed the Rebels to the semifinals before the run ended.
Kiffin also revisited the reason he says LSU was the right move for him.
“If I’m 7-5, I’m miserable,” Kiffin said. “I don’t care where I am.
I don’t care if the fans are mad or not. I’m miserable myself.
So that didn’t appeal to me to stay somewhere because of that lower expectation of a program.”
He added that staying at Ole Miss had started to feel too easy.
“One of the benefits is it pushed me to grow more,” Kiffin said of the move to the Tigers. “The expectation at LSU is as high as anywhere in any sport or any program.
It’s uncomfortable for a lot of people. I like that.
That matches me.”
Still, the notion that Ole Miss would shrug off a 7-5 season doesn’t match the reality Kiffin helped create. With players such as quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy back in the fold, a 7-5 mark would bring plenty of frustration in Oxford. Golding is carrying the weight of the standard Kiffin built, and that pressure figures to be heavier than what Kiffin faces at LSU, where the Tigers went 7-6 last season.
LSU’s practice schedule also moved forward on Tuesday. The Tigers put on full pads for the first time this camp during practice No. 6, though reporters were only allowed to watch 11 minutes of non-contact work and did not see any live hitting.
Tight end Trey’Dez Green remained in a gold jersey and was held out of contact, though he does not appear to be dealing with a major injury. True freshman receiver Jabari Mack of Destrehan High, in the New Orleans area, was also wearing gold and does appear to be injured.
The Tigers will go through a walk-through of plays on Wednesday, then practice at 10 a.m. Thursday.
Kiffin and players are scheduled to speak after that session. LSU will practice again at 10 a.m.
Friday before its first preseason scrimmage Saturday, which will be closed to reporters.
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LSU Inherits A Quarterback Storyline Lane Kiffin No Longer Controls
Trinidad Chambliss arrived at Ole Miss as one of the more interesting quarterback additions in the SEC, a spring 2025 transfer from Division II Ferris State who quickly turned himself into a real storyline. His rise has already drawn plenty of attention, but not everyone around the league views it as simply a product of Lane Kiffins system. One anonymous SEC coach pointed to Chamblisss natural talent and playmaking ability as the bigger reason for his success, a reminder that the quarterback himself has done more than just benefit from the right play sheet.
That angle matters even more now that Kiffin has left Ole Miss for LSU, where the Rebels new offensive playcaller will be John David Baker. For LSU, the move created an unexpected subplot to keep an eye on, because Chambliss is no longer tied to the coach many people associated with his rise. The question hanging over the next chapter is whether his production travels with him when the architect of the old offense is gone and the new one takes over. [Read more 🡒]
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The jersey also ties back to a name that still resonates around Baton Rouge: YA Tittle, who wore 25 during his LSU days from 1944 to 1947 before going on to a Hall of Fame NFL career. For a program that leans heavily on tradition, having a number shared by a backup back and a prized defender gives LSU another reminder of how its current roster keeps brushing up against the schools history. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Faces An Early Receiver Concern As Clemson Prep Intensifies
LSU moved into its sixth fall-camp practice with the first full-pads session Wednesday, a useful checkpoint as the Tigers keep sharpening things for the season opener against Clemson. The wide receiver group is already getting a close look, and junior Malik Elzy has been a steady target as LSU works through its early camp rhythm. Elsewhere, injured players Gabriel Reliford and Aidan Anding were seen on stationary bikes, while freshman Jaiden Braker has been adjusting to a new home on the defensive side of the ball after switching from linebacker to defensive end.
The more immediate concern is at receiver, where Winston Watkins Jr. was absent again for a second straight practice. LSU does not have much time to let any camp absence linger with Clemson looming, so every rep matters now, especially as the Tigers try to sort out who is ready to handle the load when the opener arrives. Watkins availability will be worth watching as camp intensity rises and the depth chart starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]