Lane Kiffin has taken a hard turn away from the online chaos that has long followed him.
The new LSU coach said Thursday at 2026 SEC Football Kickoff Media Days that he deleted every social media app from his phone months ago, ending a stretch of silence that had fans wondering why one of college football’s most active trolls had gone quiet since May.
“It’s been really freeing because what you do at the end of the day is you don’t compare anything. … (And) comparison is the thief of joy,” Kiffin told SEC reporters (via On3’s Andy Staples).
Kiffin said the decision was simple once he committed to it.
“If you tell me I can’t do something, that’s really the way to get me to do it,” Kiffin said Thursday. “So I just got off of everything, got off of (X/Twitter), don’t even have the apps. So I don’t even read it either.”
For a coach with a long history of needling the college football world, the move stands out. Kiffin has built a reputation for social media trolling as much as for his work on the field, but for now, the internet games appear to be on pause.
He arrives at LSU after last season at Ole Miss, where the Rebels reached the College Football Playoff. LSU’s schedule includes a trip to Ole Miss on Sept. 19, a game that figures to carry extra heat after Kiffin left the Rebels just before their 2025 CFP run.
Several players Kiffin coached at Ole Miss, including Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy, remain with the Rebels.
“It’s been really refreshing.”
(h/t @AndyStaples) https://t.co/vJtjOe5YAF pic.twitter.com/6PkfmGbt9u
- On3 (@On3) July 23, 2026
Kiffin’s relationship with departures has also been a running joke. Barstool podcast “Pardon My Take” previously poked fun at his tendency to make abrupt exits, including leaving multiple jobs for other opportunities.
Now 51, Kiffin is on his fifth college head coaching stop after a stint with the Las Vegas Raiders. And even with the social media silence, he still arrives at LSU as one of the sport’s most recognizable and entertaining figures.
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Trinidad Chambliss Just Entered A Money Conversation Few Ole Miss Stars Ever Reach
Trinidad Chambliss has gone from a Division II background to the kind of financial territory that only the biggest names in college football usually touch. His projected NIL value for next season is around $5 million, a figure that would have sounded outlandish not long ago for a quarterback who did not begin last season as Ole Miss starter and was still climbing into the spotlight.
The money conversation got even louder after LeBron James new Philadelphia 76ers deal was announced, because the comparison put Chambliss in a rare lane among college athletes. James contract alone comes in below that projected NIL number, even before his endorsement and business income enter the picture, which is a reminder of how quickly the economics around star college players have changed and how high the ceiling now is for a breakout Rebel. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Reopened The Ole Miss Exit Fans Still Haven't Forgotten
Lane Kiffins move from Ole Miss to LSU still hangs over the SEC, and it surfaced again at SEC Media Days when he addressed the departure from a new angle. The timing of the exit is part of why it never really went away for Rebels fans, especially with Ole Miss surging toward a College Football Playoff berth as Kiffin moved on.
Now settled into his LSU role, Kiffin said the old Ole Miss storyline does not come up with recruits or their families, who are more interested in the Tigers program and history. His attention, he added, is on getting LSU back into SEC and national title contention, even if the memory of how he left Oxford remains a sensitive one on the other side. [Read more 🡒]
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Cook gives the passing game another proven target, Frazier adds a backfield option built for tough yards, and Thomas brings a rsum that suggests he can help stabilize the middle of the defense after significant turnover at linebacker. Aguero also fits the profile of a player Ole Miss clearly expects to lean on right away, which is part of what makes this portal class so interesting. The Rebels did not just stockpile bodies, they targeted players who appear ready to matter, and the next question is how quickly all that new talent settles into the roles the staff has mapped out. [Read more 🡒]