Brian Kelly ahead of LSU vs. Ole Miss: Lane Kiffin is 'good for college football'

Two ranked SEC foes will square off this weekend when Ole Miss visits LSU in Death Valley. It’s a matchup also featuring two of the premier coaches in the game that are plenty familiar with one another, Lane Kiffin and Brian Kelly.

Both Kelly and Kiffin have led their respective programs to double-digit win seasons in the SEC, doing so in different ways with differing personalities. And heading into their matchup this weekend, Kelly was asked about the unique personality of the Ole Miss head coach.

“I just think you have to look at how many followers he has on Twitter. I mean I think that today — he’s got a blue check mark, doesn’t he? Isn’t that how you’re regarded?” Kelly asked.

From his social media presence to viral comments during press conferences, Kiffin has not shied away from doing things his own way and speaking his mind along the way. Kiffin has never been afraid to talk about the biggest issues in college football or poke fun at his fellow coaches within the conference, including Kelly.

Kiffin has quote-tweeted and trolled Kelly for his antics in recruiting videos in the past. And more recently, the two took place in a friendly back and forth regarding Coca-Cola products. That was capped off with Kiffin joking about Kelly’s postgame anger following LSU’s Week 1 loss to USC, bringing an entertaining element to the college football landscape.

“Lane has a positive outlook on the game and he certainly has been a central figure in college football,” Kelly added. “He can poke fun at himself and others, and I think he’s good for college football.”

Being good for college football off the field is one thing, but on the field Kiffin and Kelly delivered one of the best games in the sport last season. A 55-49 shootout that Kelly and the Rebels were able to win at home thanks to a touchdown scored in the last minute of the game.

Hopefully, this year’s rematch can live up to last year’s hype as Ole Miss-LSU kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming on Fubo.