Things are more chaotic than they have ever been in college football. The landscape started to shift with conference realignment, but with the introduction of NIL and the removal of seemingly any structure around the transfer portal, it seems as if the sport has entered a Wild West sort of situation.
Everything seemed to come to a head in Oxford, Mississippi, where Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin led the program to an 11-1 season, all but guaranteeing a berth in the College Football Playoff, and still chose to depart and become the next head coach of the LSU Tigers.
Kiffin announced his decision on Sunday in a statement shared on social media.
“After a lot of prayer and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision to accept the head coaching position at LSU.
“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.”
One parody account posted about legendary Rebels quarterback Eli Manning replacing Kiffin for the duration of the season, and it seems like Manning likes the sound of the idea.
Fans reacted to Manning on social media.
“Would you consider a position with the Giants if it was offered?” one fan wanted to know.
“I think he’s just kidding too many other projects too much other talent. I thought the Hulu series was amazing. He doesn’t need the pressure, clearly enough time & creative outlet,” one fan added.
“If you take the job people will forget about Lane Kiffin quick in Oxford,” another fan added.
While the Rebels will go with Pete Golding as the program’s next head caoch, it would be pretty cool if Manning came one day and was able to do for his alma mater what Jim Harbaugh did for his in Ann Arbor.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.