Lane Kiffin's run as head coach at Ole Miss came to an end on Sunday as he opted to leave the Rebels to take over the LSU Tigers, effective immediately.
That means Kiffin will not be coaching the 11-1 Rebels in the upcoming College Football Playoff, which rightfully has fans furious with the coach who has taken Ole Miss to a level the program has never been to, only to then leave them before their postseason run even begins.
Kiffin released a statement on Sunday in which he announced his decision, but also threw blame at Ole Miss atheltic director, Keith Carter, for not allowing him to stick around for the playoffs.
"I was hoping to complete a historic six season run with this year's team by leading Ole Miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on the team's incredible success and their commitment to finish strong, and investing everything into a playoff run with guardrails in place to protect the program in any areas of concern," Kiffin wrote. "My request to do so was denied by Keith Carter despite the team also asking him to allow me to keep coaching them so they could better maintain their high level of performance. Unfortunately, that means Friday's Egg Bowl was my last game coaching the Rebels."
Here's his full statement:
Kiffin wanting to remain the Rebels' coach for the playoffs despite taking a job with a SEC rival, didn't sit well with many fans.
Here are some of their heated reactions:
Ole Miss AD Keith Carter's statement on Kiffin's departure
Carter explained the school's decision to quickly move on from Kiffin to interim head coach Pete Golding.
"Coach Kiffin and I met yesterday, and he informed us that he is accepting the head coaching position at another school. For our program to begin preparing for its future, both the short and long term, he will be stepping away from the team immediately,” Carter said in a statement. "With this development, we could not be more excited to announce Pete Golding as the next head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels.
Kiffin will now take over a LSU team that went 7-5 this season. The Rebels, meanwhile, will most likely play in the College Football Playoff under Golding.
