Ole Miss Rebels fans will have a hard time recognizing their head coach, Lane Kiffin’s in-game avatar. He was shown alongside Ohio State coach Ryan Day, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, and others in a game trailer released June 24. Kiffin is featured as a “program builder” archetype. One of the fans on X wrote, “I’m sorry but this flabby, dead-eyed ghoul is not my hot yoga coach.” However, Kiffin took it in a humorous note. 

Re-sharing the tweet, Kiffin replied with a laughing emoji. Right now, Ole Miss fans are waiting for the head coach who made the cover on the deluxe version of the game. It is scheduled to be released on July 10. While Kiffin did not take his ‘morphed’ portrayal to heart, that’s not the case when someone tried to pull down Ole Miss’ rivals, Tennessee. 

On June 26, Kiffin reshared a reel from Lowkey Country on his IG story. The reel featured ‘There Was This Girl’ singer Riley Green. The singer has a fan following of 2.4 million followers on IG. But looks like Kiffin will think twice before calling himself a Green fan. The reason? It’s in the video. The clip shows the singer taking to the stage with a guitar. Before singing the song, he came up with a short message: “You don’t have to be an Alabama fan to like this song, you just have to not be a Tennessee fan.” He then strikes the chord for his song ‘Hell Of A Way To Go’. And this message did not sit well with Kiffin, even though Ole Miss is not dragged into the song.

The lyrics that stir up all the controversy are, “I’d be sittin’ on a lake like glass Catchin’ Largemouth Bass Just my boy and me Or maybe on a fifty-yard line Watchin’ Alabama w—p up on Tennessee.” That’s when Kiffin took a stand for their SEC rival, Tennessee, expressing his frustration towards Green. Re-sharing the story, the Rebels head coach wrote, “Dang @rileyduckman.” It was followed by a plea, “Quit hating on @vol_football.” Yes, that’s how Kiffin is breaking the mold. We are all aware of the rivalry between the two programs. The 1962 meeting, a 10-0 victory for Ole Miss, featured an all-out brawl between the sides at the end of the game.

In 1969, UT fans wore buttons to the game emblazoned with the phrase “Archie Who?” to mock Archie Manning. But Kiffin could not let the insult towards their SEC rival pass away just like that. But what makes the Ole Miss head coach lean towards an SEC alliance? Well, turns out that Kiffin’s son looks forward to stepping into college football with another SEC rival of Ole Miss.

A full circle moment for Lane Kiffin 

We are all aware of how Kiffin shares a strong bond with his kids, daughters Presley and Landry, and son Knox Kiffin. Knox might be just 16 years old, but he is already ready to follow in his dad’s footsteps and make his debut in college. Even though he is a prospect for the class of 2028, he has offers from multiple programs. At the beginning of this year, Kiffin’s son received an offer from Georgia State University. Before that, SMU Mustangs, Western Kentucky University, and Arkansas State had jumped into the race to land Knox.

But turns out that Kiffin’s son has a special place reserved for the Alabama Crimson Tide. The budding talent attended a football camp in Tuscaloosa in June. But why Kalen DeBoer’s program? Well, Kiffin had served as Alabama’s offensive coordinator from 2014 to 2016 and helped lead the Crimson Tide to a national championship in 2015. So, it’s indeed a proud moment for him. The Ole Miss head coach enthusiastically shared clips from Knox’s Alabama visit, including a picture with current Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.

Later on, on The Pivot Podcast, Kiffin shared, “My daughter [Landry] ended up moving here by choice in high school from Manhattan Beach, California, to Oxford, Mississippi, to come live with me. I don’t think that would’ve happened before. And now, my son is doing it by choice. And then my daughter stayed here for college when she could’ve gone [to] other places.” As Knox continues to develop, with a sophomore season ahead at Oxford High, speculation grows whether Alabama is waiting for a Kiffin 2.0 chapter with Knox this time. One thing’s for sure—this one’s got the Dad Kiffin stamp of approval.