Think again if you believe that the drama in college football occurs solely on the field. Just before the Ole Miss vs. LSU game, Landry Kiffin, the daughter of Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, made headlines on social media with her new “Instagram official” romance with LSU linebacker Whit Weeks. Landry shows that she is more than just a coach’s daughter by entertaining her 30,000+ followers with everything from emotional dad moments to pregame snack spreads and cheeky relationship vibes through her playful story takeovers and inside joke captions.

This time, Landry Kiffin just brought about some Instagram-style chaos for college football fans during the middle of the week. In a recent IG post, BleacherReport wrote, “Landry powered through the 5-hour drive with an energy drink to surprise Whit Weeks 🥹⚡.” She shared a TikTok video on Wednesday that showed her driving five hours through the night to surprise Weeks at his home. She left at three in the morning and arrived at around eight. She first told Weeks she couldn’t make it to the weekend game against Ole Miss, but she ended up showing up early anyway, according to the video, which was captioned as “Impulsive decision.”

Though everyone seems to agree that the relationship is genuinely sweet, fans naturally flooded the comments with jokes about Landry trying to “sneak intel” for her dad, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. In response to the rumors, Lane Kiffin praised Whit and described him as “an awesome kid” from a “great family,” making it clear that their relationship has nothing to do with football. He went so far as to mention the SEC Netflix special, highlighting that fans were able to see the dynamics of the family when the two went hunting with the Weeks family. Along with joking on X earlier in the week that the romance was “peak mind games,” Lane also teased fans about the impending game and Ole Miss’s prospects before assuring everyone that his daughter would undoubtedly be cheering for him.

There is now a huge on-field clash on top of all that off-field drama. With major consequences for the SEC and national rankings, Ole Miss and LSU, who are both unbeaten, will square off on Saturday, September 25, at 2:30 CDT. While LSU’s defense is limiting opponents to just over 9 points per game, Ole Miss averages close to 45 points per game. Landry, whose personal life has unintentionally become a sideline story, is tucked into that scoreboard narrative. Is she supporting her dad’s team or her boyfriend? In any case, Instagram and the SEC are already keeping an eye on it.

Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels brace for LSU test

In one of the most exciting SEC games of Week 5, No. 13 Ole Miss (4-0) and No. 4 LSU (4-0) square off, and Lane Kiffin’s team is coming in full force. The Rebels, who average more than 44 points per game, haven’t missed a beat since revamping their offensive line with four new starters. Although Kiffin is known for his daring passing attacks, his true passion is hammering the rock. Only the service academies and a few Group of Five schools have outperformed Ole Miss in terms of yards per game since 2020. The defense at LSU, however, isn’t exactly welcoming; they’re limiting opponents to 2.6 yards per carry.

Backup quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who has shown promise but hasn’t dealt with the type of defensive coordinator he will on Saturday, is under even more pressure as a result. Blake Baker of LSU enjoys hiding coverages and causing havoc with quarterbacks. Kiffin is aware of how that appears. He stated, “Jaxson Dart had made 34 starts going into the game last year.” and “Chambliss possesses two.”After a sluggish start, LSU is depending on its wideouts to finally settle into a rhythm. Garrett Nussmeier will have his matchup nightmare now that Trey’Dez Green is back.

Harold Perkins Jr. comes next. The linebacker destroyed Ole Miss with a sack, two hurries, and a pass breakup the last time Kiffin saw him as a freshman. “He isn’t like anyone else out there,” Kiffin admitted back then. After a junior season ruined by injuries, Perkins is back to his full disruptor self four years later. This Tiger defense, when combined with LSU’s improved secondary and portal-built roster, may be the most powerful opponent Ole Miss has encountered during the Kiffin era. Although the Magnolia Bowl is already expected to be exciting, this year’s main focus will be on whether Ole Miss’s run game and a rookie quarterback can overcome LSU’s defense.