Lane Kiffin had LSU on his mind this week, but when his old quarterback Austin Simmons came up, he couldn’t resist taking a shot in the direction of Ole Miss.
Kiffin, now trying to steady his 22nd-ranked Tigers after a loss at Kentucky, was speaking Monday as LSU prepares to host No. 16 Mississippi State in Week 7.
That’s the immediate business for him in Baton Rouge. But the other Mississippi school he used to lead still found its way into the conversation.
Ole Miss is the school Kiffin coached from 2020 until he left for LSU late in the 2025 season. Simmons, meanwhile, was with the Rebels from 2023-25 before heading to Mizzou.
Now the quarterback returns to Oxford this weekend, with the 13th-ranked Tigers set to face No. 9 Ole Miss on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
ET on SEC Network.
It gives Simmons a familiar kind of backdrop. Kiffin did the same thing earlier this season, returning to Oxford when LSU played - and lost to - the Rebels.
So when reporters asked Kiffin on Monday about the quarterback he once coached, he went straight for the joke.
“Is that tampering if I talk about another player in college? I don’t know anymore,” said Lane Kiffin, in a little, not-so-playful nudge toward Ole Miss.
“Is there really tampering anyway? Speaking of one of those two schools.
… Does it matter if you tamper? Is there actually a penalty?
So, I guess I’ll comment on it. I love Austin.
I think Austin’s a first-round draft pick. I’ve said that the whole time through.”
Simmons will now try to beat his former team in Oxford, with a ranked SEC matchup providing the stage for another return to the place he once called home.
In Other News...
Kewan Lacy Brings Extra Heat To Ole Miss' Missouri Showdown
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Missouri running back Jamal Roberts, who was teammates with Lacy in 2024, said the two still keep in touch even with the game on deck. The connection adds a personal wrinkle to a matchup already loaded with SEC stakes, but once kickoff arrives, both sides know the familiarity should make for a fierce and competitive afternoon. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Faces Its Biggest Road Test Yet Under Eli Drinkwitz
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The backdrop is what makes this trip matter so much for Missouri. The Tigers have not pulled off a ranked road win since Oct. 14, 2023, and the betting market is treating this one like a steep climb, with Ole Miss installed as a 6.5-point favorite. Missouri has already shown it can handle pressure in a big spot, but this is the kind of game that can clarify whether the Tigers are just ranked or ready to keep climbing. [Read more 🡒]
Austin Simmons Returns To Ole Miss With Missouri Facing A Huge SEC Test
Austin Simmons heads into one of the seasons most intriguing SEC matchups with a familiar backdrop, as the No. 13 Tigers travel to face No. 9 Ole Miss and a roster that includes several players who once called Oxford home. Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz has framed the game as bigger than just a ranking matchup, noting the added layer for Simmons and the other former Rebels now wearing black and gold. It is the kind of crossover story that gives an already high-stakes conference game a little extra edge.
For Missouri, the timing only heightens the significance, with Simmons continuing to settle in as the teams starter while the Tigers try to keep pace in a crowded SEC race. Ole Miss enters with its own momentum and its own coaching perspective on what this meeting means, which only adds to the tension surrounding a game that has plenty of weight beyond the box score. The only real question now is how Simmons handles the return trip when the spotlight is waiting for him in familiar territory. [Read more 🡒]