Lane Kiffin decided to skip his former team’s Sugar Bowl appearance to support his new school.
The Ole Miss coach decided to leave midseason to take a job as LSU’s football coach, jumping ship as his former team was preparing for a College Football Playoff run. As The Associated Press reported, Kiffin showed up in Baton Rouge with another famous LSU coach on Thursday night.
Lane Kiffin Appears With Another Legendary Coach
While his former team was fighting for a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinal, Kiffin was back in Baton Rouge making an appearance with LSU’s other famous coach. He appeared at the No. 5-ranked women’s basketball team as they took on Kentucky.
“Kiffin and women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey emerged from the tunnel at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center holding hands before the Tigers faced No. 11 Kentucky,” the report noted. “Kiffin and Mulkey’s appearance on the court drew a roar from the crowd, and Mulkey raised her left hand to point at Kiffin while the pair responded by raising their joined hands in the air.”
The visit to Louisiana came as a surprise, as many expected Kiffin to make an appearance at the Sugar Bowl. As SI.com’s Christian Kirby reported, many expected him to join the broadcast booth.
“But while Kiffin won’t be on the sidelines for the Rebels’ matchup, the former Ole Miss head coach is still expected to be in the building for the game,” Kirby wrote. “According to reports, many believe that Kiffin will be in attendance for the game and could possibly appear in the broadcast booth for a TV segment.”
Kiffin was hired by LSU after the school fired Brian Kelly midseason.
Controversy Over Lane Kiffin’s Coaching Plans
After announcing that he would be taking the LSU job, Kiffin said he thought he would be able to coach Ole Miss through the College Football Playoff. But Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter disputed that, saying Kiffin was told that he wouldn’t be able to coach in the playoff if he took the job in Baton Rouge.
“There’s been a lot of things he’s said publicly that I’m not sure are totally accurate,” Carter said in an early December interview. “I think that both coach and his representation knew several weeks ago that coaching in the playoffs was not going to be an option if he was not the Ole Miss head coach.”
Carter asserted that Kiffin would have only coached in the SEC championship if Auburn had beaten Alabama, but otherwise he would be done coaching Ole Miss for this season.
“That threw a little wrinkle in it, not to say that he would have coached in that game, but with the shorter time period, that was maybe the only little nuance to it, but absolutely it was very clear that coaching in the postseason was not going to be an option for Coach Kiffin a few weeks ago,” Carter said.
The winner of Ole Miss and Georgia would advance to face Miami in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
Lane Kiffin Makes LSU Appearance While Skipping Ole Miss in Sugar Bowl