Lane Kiffin Ole Miss saga: Why Keith Carter is mentioned in LSU coach's last message to fans

Lane Kiffin has decided to join LSU after six seasons at Ole Miss. The 50-year-old on Sunday issued a statement for fans.

Updated on: Dec 1, 2025, 01:47:36 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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Lane Kiffin has decided to join LSU after six seasons at Ole Miss. The 50-year-old on Sunday issued a statement for fans, saying the Egg Bowl was his last game in Oxford. He, however, called out AD Keith Carter.

Marty Smith of the SEC Network interviews head coach Lane Kiffin (Getty Images via AFP)

“After a lot of prayer and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision to accept the head coaching position at LSU,” Kiffin said.

The former Ole Miss coach added that he wanted to coach the team through the playoffs. But he will not be able to, courtesy of Athletic Director Keith Carter.

“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.”

In his final message to Ole Miss fans, Kiffin thanked them for six years.

“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.”

Pete Goulding gets promotion

Meanwhile, Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding will replace Lane Kiffin as the team's permanent head coach, The Athletic reported on Sunday, citing sources. The 41-year-old is in his third season on Ole Miss' staff. He was Alabama's defensive coordinator from 2018 to 2022.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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