Jeff Lebby takes playful jab at Lane Kiffin at SEC Media Days: 'He doesn't text, he just tweets'

Jeff Lebby became the head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs this offseason, representing the first head coaching job of his career as he now stands among other SEC head men that he’s plenty familiar with.

From Tennessee‘s Josh Heupel and Ole Miss‘ Lane Kiffin, to even SEC newcomer Brent Venables who will lead Oklahoma to their first season in the conference, Lebby has worked closely on staff with several head coaches in the SEC. And at media days on Wednesday, he was asked how often he interacts with his new conference peers who also serve as former coworkers.

“The interaction is not often, in all reality,” Lebby admitted. “There’s so much trust and appreciation from my standpoint, the chair I’m sitting in, for all three of those guys creating an opportunity for me.”

“I’ve got no chance to be doing what I’m doing, chasing it the way I’m chasing it now, without those opportunities and those don’t happen without those three guys. Indebted and grateful as we move forward,” Lebby added. “It’s going to be incredibly competitive and we’ll play two of them this year, both on the road, both atmospheres will be a ton of fun.”

Lebby most recently worked alongside Venables as his offensive coordinator at Oklahoma in the past two seasons. Also a part of Heupel’s staff as a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator during his first two seasons as the head coach at UCF.

But the former colleague of Lebby’s that everyone wanted to know about during SEC Media Days on Wednesday was Kiffin. Spending the 2020 and 2021 seasons as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at Ole Miss with him as the two now represent the head coaches of one of the SEC’s biggest rivalries.

All day Lebby did an excellent job of not talking about Kiffin and Ole Miss throughout media days in Arlington, but did provide an answer that had the SEC Now crew bursting out in laughter when they asked him specifically about his communication with the Rebels’ head coach.

“He (Lane) doesn’t text. He just tweets,” Lebby said.

Kiffin is known for his presence on social media, and also known for his recent success in the transfer portal with an impressive haul of new players joining Ole Miss this offseason.

Lebby is working with a new-look Mississippi State roster ahead of his first season in Starkville, which paired with his history with Kiffin will make this year’s Egg Bowl matchup to end the regular season even more exciting in Oxford on November 29.