By Nelson EspinalShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberAmid his departure to LSU, Lane Kiffin claimed that the team asked Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter to keep their now former head coach in his spot throughout the College Football Playoffs.
After much consideration, Kiffin decided to leave Ole Miss for LSU, but he wanted to keep coaching his current team through the postseason.
More news: Lane Kiffin Breaks Silence Following LSU Hiring, Ole Miss Drama
He reportedly tried to persuade Carter to let him stay for the rest of the season, hoping to make a run at a National Championship.
In the end, Carter decided it was best if Kiffin moved on and the team had a new coach for the playoffs and beyond. Ole Miss promoted Pete Golding, the sitting defensive coordinator, to head coach.
...In his statement posted on X, Kiffin wrote that his request to continue coaching the team 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."
A couple of days removed from Kiffin's post, Ole Miss starting offensive lineman Brycen Sanders quote-tweeted it by writing, "I think everyone that was in that room would disagree" in response to Kiffin's claim.
Additionally, Ole Miss Linebacker Suntarine Perkins hit back by saying, "That was not the message you said in the meeting room. Everybody that was in there can vouch on this."
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More news: Kentucky Working Toward Deal With New Head Coach as Agreement Nears: Report
The Florida Gators and LSU pursued Kiffin for months, each team offering a deal that would make him a highly paid coach and promising notable investment in the program.
Ole Miss reportedly matched both teams' offer, though Kiffin felt like it was time for a new chapter. His decision was already a hot topic of conversation.
Still, when it emerged that he wanted to remain as coach through the postseason, many in the college football world believed he was asking too much of the school, which had given him complete control of the program.
“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,” Kiffin explained in his post.
Kiffin has now started working for LSU, flipping multiple Ole Miss recruits to join his project in the bayou, and rounding out his coaching staff.
For more college football news, head to Newsweek Sports.
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