Jeff HauserWed, December 3, 2025 at 2:10 AM UTC·2 min readOle Miss players deny Lane Kiffin's College Football Playoff claim originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Lane Kiffin’s exit from Ole Miss for the LSU job has grown more contentious, as several Rebels players publicly pushed back on the coach’s claim that the team wanted him to guide them through the College Football Playoff.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementKiffin wrote in his Sunday departure statement that he had hoped to “complete a historic six-season run” by coaching Ole Miss during the postseason and asserted that “the team also asked” athletics director Keith Carter to let him stay on. That version of events quickly met resistance from inside the Rebels locker room.
Offensive lineman Brycen Sanders directly challenged the accuracy of Kiffin’s statement, quote tweeting it with, “I think everyone that was in that room would disagree.” Sanders appeared to suggest that no such request came from players during the meeting Kiffin referenced.
Linebacker and defensive star Suntarine Perkins was one of the first to agree with Sanders Tuesday night. “That was not the message you said in the meeting room,” Perkins wrote on social media. “Everybody that was in there can vouch on this.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThey were soon joined by starting tackle Jayden Williams, who replied, “Let ’em know! Every single person!” Offensive lineman Paris Wilkins added, “Fax this was not said from anyone.”
The pushback shows the growing rift between Kiffin and portions of the roster following his decision to leave Oxford for a seven-year, $91 million deal at LSU.
Ole Miss now turns the page with new head coach Pete Golding, who was elevated earlier this week. Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. will also return to coach during the College Football Playoff as the Rebels regroup amid one of the most dramatic coaching departures in recent SEC memory.
Despite Kiffin's departure, Ole Miss moved up to No. 6 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings.
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