Five times LSU HC Lane Kiffin has found himself in the headlines

The Kiffin family seemingly took a tour of the SEC

The rumors that Lane Kiffin could be on the move started early and often in 2025, with multiple SEC jobs courting him. So, he sent his family on a tour of multiple SEC towns, clearly getting familiar with them, while he was still the head coach at Ole Miss. That was back in November and made headlines as Ole Miss had to figure out whether or not he'd leave.

Lane Kiffin insisted he wanted to coach in the College Football Playoff

Ole Miss made its first College Football Playoff in 2025. It was a major accomplishment, and Kiffin wanted to coach the team for it. The problem was that he had already taken the LSU job. Ole Miss wasn't going to allow that, which led to a public debate about it. However, in the end, the Rebels stuck to their guns and went with then-interim Pete Golding.

Lane Kiffin nearly attended the Sugar Bowl with Governor Jeff Landry

Instead of accepting that he wasn't coaching in the CFP, Kiffin made sure to stay in headlines around the time of Ole Miss' run. That included reports he may attend the Sugar Bowl with Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry. That didn't end up happening, but Kiffin did appear at a basketball game on gameday and took shots at analysts Ole Miss would lose online.

Lane Kiffin responded to a perceived shot by Pete Golding

Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding had been Kiffin's defensive coordinator. That hasn't stopped him from taking shots at Kiffin, including saying, “We got rid of the basketball goal first." 

That basketball hoop was a way of celebrating under Kiffin with a dunk. So, Kiffin took note and included one in a news conference shortly after that, as both sides couldn't help but take shots at one another.

Lane Kiffin made comments comparing Ole Miss and LSU's racial history

The most recent incident for Kiffin and Ole Miss ended up being comments he made in a Vanity Fair article. He compared Ole Miss and LSU's racial histories, arguing it's hard to recruit to Oxford, adding, "Parents were sitting here this weekend saying the campus’ diversity feels so great: 'It feels like there’s no segregation. And we want that for our kid because that’s the real world.'" 

Once again, Kiffin faced backlash. In fact, it was the most he had faced since the initial decision to leave Ole Miss. Regardless of whether or not what Kiffin said had any merit, which has been widely debated now, it was another headline-grabbing moment where he seemed to take a shot at the school that gave him a second chance as an SEC head coach.

Ole Miss will host LSU next season on Sept. 19. Based on how Kiffin hasn't been able to leave the spotlight, it should be a raucous affair.