When the ovation is no more and the loud cheers go silent, there are only a few who show up in such moments. Having experienced this firsthand, LSU head coach Lane Kiffin took the time to appreciate those who stood by him during his own dark times. And surprisingly, only Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian made the list.

On X, Lane Kiffin reshared a post that read, “I will NEVERRRRR,” as a response to an image that carried the statement, “those who came with a lamp when I was in the dark.” 

“Thank you for those that did. Love you @CoachSark,” an open appreciation to Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian.

We don’t know what exactly the LSU HC is referring to here. However, for Sarkisian and Kiffin, their journey began in 2001 under Pete Carroll at USC. In just four years, they were co-offensive coordinators for a team that produced one of the greatest offenses in NCAA history. While Kiffin called the plays from the booth, Sarkisian was the voice for the quarterback. 

Kiffin left USC for an NFL gig, while Sarkisian stayed with the Trojans. They reunited for another glorious chapter at Alabama under Nick Saban. This was after Sarkisian hit his lowest point in his coaching career. When asked about Sarkisian’s situation with USC, Kiffin, who was already the OC at Alabama, had nothing but kind words for him.

“People go through things. It doesn’t mean he can’t coach,” Kiffin said. “The guy is a great playcaller. I always go back to his last year at Washington. In the history of the school, there had been six games of over 600 yards. He had six in the same season.”

“There’s no question about that. There’s no question about his relationships with the players and quarterback development. We all go through things, and I can tell talking to him that he has come back stronger and he’ll be even better.”

Kiffin not only spoke to Sarkisian at that moment but also tried to invite him to an Alabama practice. When asked if he would hire Sarkisian despite the controversy around him at the time, Kiffin was very positive.

Eventually, Sarkisian joined the Tide as an offensive analyst, and the two again recreated their USC days, this time in the windowless film rooms of the Mal Moore Athletic Facility. When Kiffin left for FAU, Sarkisian took over the offense overnight. 

Lane Kiffin’s dark Ole Miss exit

Despite a 55-19 record with Ole Miss and an 11-1 record and playoff qualification in 2025, Kiffin had one of the most chaotic exits in college football after he resigned from Ole Miss. Questions were raised after Kiffin led Ole Miss to the playoffs and then immediately walked away to coach a rival.

It became even more complicated after Kiffin requested to coach Ole Miss in the playoffs before leaving for Louisiana. His request was simply rejected, as the LSU Tigers were considered too much of a rival to get so involved with. 

“That was… excruciating and difficult,” Kiffin said at his introductory press conference. “We tried every possible thing [in negotiations] for a long time the other night and into the morning… We presented a plan [to stay through the College Football Playoff]. At the end of the day, that’s their decision. And I respect that.”

While there was some peace with the team’s leadership after they agreed to compensate him based on how far Ole Miss got in the playoffs, it was a different case with the fans. Kiffin claimed he was chased down by a group of fans, who almost ran him “off the road,” while he made his way out of Oxford.

“Call a cop that you know so they’ll help you,” Kiffin said. “Because you personally know them because you are leaving the state. And you gotta turn around, and people are screaming at you, you know, trying to run you off the road. I don’t know what they’re gonna do. And so that … That affects you.”

Amidst all of these, Kiffin had no regrets about his decision, seeing the kind of advisors he had before coming to a conclusion. 

“I think the world of Coach Saban, and I respect him,” Kiffin said. “And so there’s a reason we’re here.”