The biggest friendly-banter rivalry in college football has to be between Lane Kiffin and Kirby Smart — Nick Saban’s offensive maestro versus Nick Saban’s defensive masterclass. The back-and-forth between these two head coaches will go down as all-time classics when everything’s said and done. Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss took their first L of the season against Kirby Smart’s Georgia over the weekend in a 43-35 battle at Sanford Stadium. Despite the loss, Kiffin temporarily ended his rivalry with Smart following his son’s thrilling win last Friday.

On October 20, just a day after Ole Miss’ tough loss to Georgia, Lane Kiffin seemed far more excited about Knox’s 43-42 thriller than his own team’s result. Kiffin opened up about how special it was to watch his son play and win in a high school football game, saying it hit him in a way only dads can truly understand. “There’s just something that only dads can explain about your kid playing ball and … winning the game like that,” he said, explaining that the joy was even greater than his own big coaching victories — “the sun’s brighter, the coffee’s better, everything’s good.”

That Knox Kiffin and Oxford High’s 43-42 thriller against Germantown had Lane Kiffin feeling like the proudest dad in the world. Knox went bonkers in front of his dad and family, throwing for 135 yards and 2 touchdowns in just one quarter of play. The sophomore stepped in and sealed the game with a passing touchdown in OT. That performance had Lane so stoked that he sent a video of Knox’s highlights to Kirby Smart in their group chat.

Kirby Smart approved of Knox’s performance, telling Kiffin, “There’s nothing like high school football, man.” Kiffin agreed, saying it’s “just not the same” anymore in college or the NFL, where the sport has become more about business. Lane Kiffin even gave a shout-out to Kirby Smart on X, reposting the CBS clip with the caption: “Nothing like high school football ever!! @KirbySmartUGA.”

For now, the friendly rivalry between Lane Kiffin and Kirby Smart is on pause — both ended up as winners. But who actually leads their rivalry, and where did it all begin?

Lane Kiffin and Kirby Smart’s rivalry

Lane Kiffin and Kirby Smart go way back to their days as assistant coaches under Nick Saban at Alabama. Since then, they’ve become rivals in the SEC — Kiffin leading Ole Miss and Smart coaching Georgia. Their friendship has a fun, competitive edge, and Kiffin often plays the role of the jokester or “troll.”

During the Ole Miss–Georgia game, Kiffin joked that he was “clapping and not calling a timeout,” teasing Smart for a similar moment he had with referees in Georgia’s previous game against Auburn. Earlier that week, Kiffin had already started the playful trash talk, even making a light joke about Smart’s weight, saying he didn’t think Kirby was “burning too many calories.”

Kiffin himself is known for staying in great shape, even at 50 years old. He credits that to doing hot yoga regularly and even posted about it on social media before the Georgia game, thanking the yoga studio for “an amazing workout.” It was very typical Kiffin — being loose, confident, and having fun leading up to a big matchup. But after Georgia came out on top, Kirby Smart saw the perfect chance to fire back at his old friend.

After the win, Smart ended his post-game press conference with a laugh, saying, “I do want to thank Lane, though. End of the game, he gave me some hot yoga tickets. So, I appreciate that.” Not going to lie, it was indeed a funny and good-natured response, showing the respect and friendly rivalry between the two coaches. With the victory, Smart now leads their head-to-head record 2–1 — and, at least for now, he gets to enjoy having the last laugh.