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Lane Kiffin Sends Message to Josh Pate After Major Personal Announcement

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Rowan Fisher-Shotton | Last updated May 23, 2025 6:31 PM ET

On Friday, college football analyst Josh Pate surprised his followers on X when he shared a wedding photo of himself and longtime partner Savannah French with the tongue-in-cheek caption, "never EVER stop recruiting."

Pate got his start in Columbus, Georgia, where he parlayed a stint at a local ESPN Radio affiliate into on-air opportunities with the NBC and ABC affiliates in town.

He launched "Josh Pate’s College Football Show" on YouTube and, after its rapid growth, joined 247Sports (a CBS Sports network) as a national analyst.

Within hours of Pate's post, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin chimed in with a hearty "Congrats buddy!!! 5 ⭐️."

Congrats buddy!!! 5 ⭐️ https://t.co/aGrrhKnPz6
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) May 23, 2025

Expectations were sky-high for Ole Miss coming off its historic 2023 Peach Bowl win.

The Rebels opened 4-0 and even notched a 28-10 upset over No. 3 Georgia on November 9.

Despite narrow overtime losses to LSU (29-26) and an upset to Florida (24-17) late in the season, Ole Miss finished 10-3 (5-3 SEC) with a dominant 52-20 Gator Bowl victory over Duke.

Since arriving in Oxford for the 2020 season, Kiffin has steadily elevated the Rebels each year.

After compiling a 5-5 record in his first year, Kiffin led Ole Miss to a 10-3 record in 2021 and an 11-2 campaign in 2023, the program’s best in school history in wins.

His overall record at Ole Miss stands at 44-18 (.710) through the 2024 season.

Before Ole Miss, Kiffin spent two seasons coaching the Oakland Raiders in 2007-2008, one season as head coach at Tennessee, four seasons at USC, and three at Florida Atlantic.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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