Lane Kiffin defends Ole Miss as an elite SEC coaching job

After losing a third game in a season where Ole Miss had massive expectations, there has been some criticism of the program and where it stands among jobs in the SEC.

For head coach Lane Kiffin, he believes it’s an elite job in the conference. That starts with the relationships that he has built since coming to work for Ole Miss.

“I do for me,” Lane Kiffin said. “I’ve been here now going on five years. I’ve talked about it before, this has become a place I have really grown into and seen as you know Landry coming here to high school and now college. So many relationships with so many people.”

Lane Kiffin first came to Ole Miss ahead of the 2020 season. At the time, he brought in his father, a legendary coach in his own right, Monte Kiffin to be an analyst. Unfortunately, he passed away in July of 2024 at the age of 84.

“And then my father’s situation, and just reflecting on that and the support from people around here. I never thought he would have passed here in Oxford, Mississippi. That really gave me a lot of appreciation for the people around here,” Kiffin said. “Joe Judge and I actually had a conversation about that this week about how Mississippi is a really misunderstood place until you live here. Then once you do, you get it. So, it’s a really special place to me and one I think we can win at.”

To this point in his career at Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin has a 42-18 record. That includes two seasons with at least 10 wins and AP Top 25 finishes. He can earn another 10-win seasons this year by finishing the regular season with an Egg Bowl win and then winning a postseason game.

Paul Finebaum questions Lane Kiffin following third loss

Following Ole Miss’ third loss, Paul Finebaum was critical of Lane Kiffin, asking if he can’t win with Ole Miss’ talented roster, then when is it going to happen?

“Unfortunately, Ole Miss found the hot team and just simply looked like they did against Kentucky about two months ago. I feel bad because we sat here two weeks ago praising Lane Kiffin for finally winning the biggest game of his career. And now, he has lost the biggest game of his career. [It] clearly knocked them out of the playoffs,” Finebaum said.

“I mean, it came down to the final couple of seconds — so it wasn’t like they only scored three points and got rolled over. I know we’ll get to that game in a few minutes, but I don’t see them coming back. The real unfortunate thing is, this is the best Ole Miss team in 60 years. It was Lane Kiffin’s best shot, and if he can’t win with these guys, who can he win with?”