Ole Miss AD says Lane Kiffin’s claims regarding Playoff are ‘not accurate’
By David Wasson
Published:
If anyone thought the Lane Kiffin drama was about to dissipate, well, think again.
One of the central claims the new LSU coach made during Monday’s introductory news conference was that he wasn’t informed until the day he left Ole Miss that he would not be allowed to coach the Rebels in the upcoming College Football Playoff.
Not true, said Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter.
“There’s been a lot of things he’s said publicly that I’m not sure are totally accurate,” Carter said to Richard Cross of SuperTalk Mississippi. “Both (Lane) and his representation knew several weeks ago that coaching in the playoff was not going to be an option if he was not the Ole Miss head coach.
“The only thing that was a little bit of a wrinkle was if Auburn had beaten Alabama and we would be playing in the SEC Championship Game. That threw a little wrinkle into it – not saying he would have coached in that game, but with the shorter time period that was maybe the only nuance to it. But it was very clear that coaching in the postseason was not going to be an option for Coach Kiffin a few weeks ago.”
Kiffin departed Ole Miss after an 11-1 record in 2025 and a presumptive bid in the College Football Playoff. Former defensive coordinator Pete Golding was hired to replace Kiffin.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
