The biggest storyline of the college football season has finally arrived as Lane Kiffin's emotional debut to Oxford takes place on Saturday. When Kiffin returned to Knoxville after only coaching the Volunteers for one season it was chaotic which makes Saturday a potential powder keg. Given the way that Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss, this weekend is already set to be explosive.
Part of what has Ole Miss fans up in arms is the way that Kiffin left the program right before their first trip to the College Football Playoff. Not only did Kiffin take coaches and staff members with him, but eventually some of the players joined him in Baton Rouge. While the players were able to transfer to LSU, there are consequences that come with leaving a school, and the former Rebels are now facing them.
Ole Miss serves two former Rebels ahead of showdown in Oxford
When LSU defensive end Princewill Umanmielen showed up at the LSU football facility on Tuesday, he was greeted with a lawsuit as he was served with court paper related to Ole Miss' lawsuit against him.
NEWS: LSU defensive end Princewill Umanmielen was served with court papers Tuesday related to the Ole Miss' lawsuit against him, according to court records. Umanmielen received the papers in the parking lot outside the LSU football facility on Tuesday, per ESPN sources.…
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 16, 2026
Ole Miss originally filed the lawsuit late in July as former Ole Miss Rebels and current LSU Tigers Princewill Umanmielen and Devin Harper hadn't paid their buyouts from their revenue sharing agreements.
NEW: Ole Miss has filed breach-of-contract lawsuits against former players and current LSU players Devin Harper and Princewill Umanmielen, the school announced. https://t.co/4gaTD3b2AL pic.twitter.com/9NPdtq8Z1L
— On3 (@On3) July 28, 2026
According to On3's Wilson Alexander, Devin Harper is also expected to be served as well, given that he's also part of the breach of contract suit.
LSU offensive lineman Devin Harper is expected to be served with court papers soon as well. Ole Miss sued Harper and Umanmielen for breach of contract after they transferred to LSU. https://t.co/VvZR4psOUU
— Wilson Alexander (@walexander) September 16, 2026
These suits have started to become common in college football, but typically don't get this messy, however the circumstances around LSU and Ole Miss have made this a more interesting story. Earlier this offseason, Oregon filed a similar suit with former defensive back DaKoda Fields over his buyout.
Of course, given the timing of Ole Miss serving the players with the game coming up, it only adds more intrigue to what could be the most interesting game of the season. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry even weighed in on the decision by Ole Miss to serve Umanmielen in Baton Rouge, joking that he could've saved money by waiting until the team is in Oxford.
The process server found Princewill in the LSU Football Ops parking lot.
— Governor Jeff Landry (@LAGovJeffLandry) September 16, 2026
Keith Carter could have saved Ole Miss some money and waited until Saturday. He’ll be easy to find in the Ole Miss backfield often!
The latest drama is going to become a bigger story once the game rolls around as the Ole Miss fans will claim it was genius if the duo struggle while LSU fans will claim it only fired them up if they stick it to their former school. The noise around this game likely won't quiet down until after the weekend, while the drama around Lane Kiffin, LSU, and his departure from Ole Miss will be a storyline for the years to come.
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