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Ole Miss head football coach Lane Kiffin confirmed that he's leaving the program and accepting the same position at LSU in a statement shared on his social media accounts Sunday (November 30).
Kiffin confirmed that he attempted to coach the Rebels in the College Football Playoff but will be prohibited from doing so.
"After a lot of prayer and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision to accept the head coaching position at LSU," Kiffin said. "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. 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.
"While I am looking forward to a new start with a unique opportunity at LSU, I will forever cherish the incredible six years I spent at Ole Miss and will be rooting hard for the team to complete their mission and bring a championship to Oxford."
Ole Miss will reportedly promote defensive coordinator Pete Golding as Kiffin's permanent replacement, On3.com's Pete Golding reports. Kiffin's reported deal with LSU is expected to pay him around $12 million annually for seven seasons, which would include bonus incentives, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in the history of college football.
Ole Miss is coming off a 38-19 win against arch rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl on Friday (November 28), ending its regular season with an 11-1 (7-1 SEC) record with a likely spot in the College Football Playoff. Kiffin, 50, met with Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter and chancellor Glenn Boyce Saturday (November 29) night.
The veteran coach surpassed David Cutcliffe as the third-winningest coach in Ole Miss history -- having previously tied Cutcliffe in 11 less games -- and has led the Rebels to double-digit wins in four of the last five seasons.