Lane Kiffin. Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Lane Kiffin believes he handled Auburn situation ‘the right way’

It’s anyone’s guess whether Lane Kiffin to Auburn had any real traction back in November.

The fourth-year Ole Miss head coach recently admitted during an interview with ESPN that he believes he handled the situation properly, despite the criticism that came his way.

"I felt that it would have been a distraction to make this big statement (that I was staying) 24 hours before the (Mississippi State) game and making it about me," Kiffin said. "So, I thought I was doing the right thing by saying, 'OK, I'm going to avoid making this about me, you guys go play. But just so you know, you don't have to sit here and worry that your coach is leaving tomorrow after the game or something. I'm staying, I just haven't made it known publicly.'

"…Sometimes the right thing to do doesn't always go right in areas.”

Auburn fired former head coach Bryan Harsin on Oct. 31 after he led the Tigers to just nine wins in two seasons. Kiffin, who has a 1-2 record against Auburn as the head coach of the Rebels, was instantly tagged as a front-runner for the coaching vacancy.

WCBI News’ Jon Sokoloff even reported that Kiffin was stepping down from Ole Miss to head to Auburn — a report that Kiffin immediately shut down. The 47-year-old agreed to a new contract with the Rebels through 2026 that will pay him nearly $9 million per season.

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