All eyes are on Lane Kiffin as the LSU head coach makes his return to Ole Miss just months removed from leaving the Rebels during the team’s College Football Playoff run. As LSU prepares to take on Ole Miss, ESPN revealed Kiffin’s private response to a new book published about the controversial coach.
Excerpts of John Talty’s book “Lane Being Lane” have circulated in recent weeks, which are not exactly flattering for Kiffin. In particular, stories about Kiffin’s tenure as Alabama offensive coordinator under Nick Saban have made the rounds.
In a private message to friend Tom Mars revealed to ESPN, Kiffin does not exactly deny the rumors but jokingly admits to cleaning up his life since his bumpy tenure in Tuscaloosa.
“I can save you $33 and lots of reading time by summing up the book this way,” Kiffin texted Mars, per ESPN’s Mark Schlabach. “Old unnamed sources say Lane used to argue with Saban, drink alcohol and hang out with hot women.
“New unnamed sources say Lane gets along with Saban, doesn’t drink alcohol, but still hangs out with hot women.”
Nick Saban on Lane Kiffin: ‘Just Keep Him Away From the Sorority Girls’
For context, Saban encouraged Alabama staffers to dissuade Kiffin from hanging out with female college students, per Talty.
“You’ve got to keep Lane away from the girls that are in college,” Saban told an Alabama staff member, a former coach recalled to Talty, in an excerpt published in Vanity Fair.
“Just keep him away from the sorority girls. Make sure they’ve graduated college or are working a job.”
Nick Saban Pushed Lane Kiffin to Bolt Ole Miss for LSU
Times have changed as Saban appeared to play a key role in Kiffin bolting Ole Miss for LSU. During an appearance at a July leadership breakfast, Kiffin recalled Saban’s advice which helped the coach make the decision to take the LSU job.
“The feeling was different, and as I sat there and I told the story at the press conference, you know, I was torn,” Kiffin explained in a video captured by WAFB 9’s Jacques Doucet. “And when I called Coach Saban and talked it through with him, he said, ‘You know, Lane, you’ll always regret if you don’t go to LSU. It’s the best job in America.’
“And when he said that, that really made the decision for me. And as I’ve looked at it, it has pushed me,” Kiffin continued.
“It has got me out of a comfort zone that we were doing amazing things, but you come here and you feel the power of the place and it drives you every day to even go to another level.”
Ole Miss is Skeptical of LSU QB Sam Leavitt’s Injury: Report
Much of the attention has been off the field, but both LSU and Ole Miss are SEC contenders. Ole Miss is a 2.5-point underdog against LSU as Kiffin returns, per DraftKings.
There is also the interesting status of LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt who was listed as doubtful in the initial injury report. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Ole Miss is skeptical that Leavitt is dealing with a significant injury.
“No one on the Ole Miss staff is convinced LSU QB Sam Leavitt’s appearance as “doubtful” on the injury report is sincere and he’ll miss the game on Saturday, per sources,” Thamel noted in a September 17, message on X.
Lane Kiffin’s Personal News Leaked Days Before LSU-Ole Miss Game