When Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss for LSU, he did so knowing that he wouldn't be able to coach the Rebels in the College Football Playoff. Where Ole Miss and Athletic Director Keith Carter differed was with the assistant coaches who took jobs at LSU, as they've been allowed to coach the Rebels in the Playoff, helping lead the team to the College Football Playoff.
After Ole Miss beat Georgia, rumors and reports started to swirl that some of LSU's newest coaches may not be coaching the team the rest of the way. This came at a time when Ole Miss was accusing LSU of tampering while the Transfer Portal was just opening up.
Lane Kiffin is going to inevitably end up pulling his staff, hurting Ole Miss
As LSU tries to build out their roster using the Transfer Portal, the Tigers fanbase had grand plans of raiding Ole Miss' roster. Most LSU fans hoped that they could grab the star duo of Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy with all of the coaches the Tigers brought from the offensive staff to Baton Rouge.
Those hopes hit a major roadblock on Monday as Ole Miss inked new deals with Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy.
Breaking: Ole Miss RB Kewan Lacy has signed to return to the Rebels in 2026, sources tell @PeteThamel and @Max_Olson. pic.twitter.com/nRSkZbh0eJ
— ESPN (@espn) January 6, 2026
The next move from Lane Kiffin has never been more obvious: he's going to pull his coaches from Ole Miss' staff. The writing has already been on the wall over the last week, and now there's truly no reason for the staff members to be in Oxford.
Lane Kiffin certainly wasn't allowing his assistants to remain in Oxford out of the goodness of his heart; the move clearly had another agenda. Every day that Lane Kiffin's assistants were in the building, it helped the Tigers' chances of luring the players to Baton Rouge. Now that the two biggest stars are staying in Oxford, there's no benefit for Lane Kiffin anymore.
The LSU Tigers are currently trying to build their roster in the Transfer Portal while the assistant coaches are flying back-and-forth between Oxford and Baton Rouge. The staff members now work for LSU, and their focus will likely be shifted to scouting and recruiting the other players in the Transfer Portal.
The groundwork has already been set with the reports that the coaches may not return, and now it'll be interesting to see if they ever do make it to the College Football Playoff semifinal.