Wherever Lane Kiffin goes, drama packs its bags too. The rumor mill said he would be in attendance to witness his former program, the Ole Miss Rebels, face off against the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl. But ESPN iced those plans by not granting Kiffin’s wish of appearing on the broadcast. 

“Sources told On3 that Kiffin has even reached out to ESPN personnel about possibly appearing in the broadcast booth for a segment during the game, although sources say ESPN hasn’t been receptive,” reported On3 on January 1. 

Back in December, buzz hit that Kiffin was gearing up to hit College GameDay ahead of the SEC title clash. That cameo fizzled. Host Rece Davis revealed Kiffin opted out, and the panel’s questions would “have to wait.”

After his LSU switch stole the spotlight down the stretch, and with Kiffin already dropping his takes in an ESPN sit-down with Marty Smith, a Baton Rouge intro press conference, and the Texas Bowl interview, it felt like he’s already said his side of the story. 

Even then, the rumor mill kicked into overdrive: word came that Kiffin had pitched ESPN on sliding into the broadcast booth for a game-day cameo during the Sugar Bowl. But this time, ESPN did not grant him the green signal. 

Some Ole Miss fans got furious at Kiffin’s bid to grab the spotlight again, popping up front and center for the squad he used to run. They protested their ex-head coach’s return since it came off as Kiffin’s plan to push LSU’s recruiting. The fans got more sure when it was reported that LSU Governor Jeff Landry would accompany Kiffin to the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

Already, Ole Miss has been on high alert and has kept its players at a safe distance from their former head coach. 

“Tampering is afoot, officials say,” reported YahooSports’ Ross Dellenger on December 30. “Trust is wavering. Things could get weirder: Lane Kiffin may attend the Sugar Bowl with Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry.”

The Sugar Bowl rolls into New Orleans, a city dripping with recruiting gold. Ole Miss is stacked with talent that could skyrocket onto any elite program’s radar the moment the transfer portal swings open on January 2. Leading the pack? Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.

Meanwhile, a clip blew up online showing Kiffin supposedly trying to charm Rebels running back Kewan Lacy over the phone. Some suspected it was AI-generated, but Ole Miss wasn’t about to play with fire. They jumped in to protect their biggest weapon for now, Mendoza. The quarterback was not allowed to communicate with his old head coach. 

Yet then Kiffin did not shy away from expressing his true feelings about his former team.

GameDay snub sparked Lane Kiffin’s clapback

Ole Miss didn’t exactly get the GameDay glow-up from ESPN’s panel ahead of their Sugar Bowl clash with Georgia. Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit, and Pat McAfee were all riding with the Bulldogs for Thursday’s showdown. 

Honestly, it’s no shock the GameDay crew all backed Georgia. The Bulldogs are 6.5-point favorites. They have been firing on all cylinders lately, looking like one of the nation’s top squads. Still, that unanimous snub didn’t sit right with Kiffin.

“What are you guys thinking?!?!? ⁦@CollegeGameDay⁩ Have you not watched [Trinidad Chambliss]?” the LSU head coach referred to his former quarterback by using the Trinidad and Tobago flag emoji.

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Well, the Ole Miss fans might be confused by now. Right ahead of the Sugar Bowl, Kiffin openly took a stand for Chambliss. Later on, he is said to be cancelling his trip to New Orleans. 

Baton Rouge is just a hop away from New Orleans. But in under 24 hours, Kiffin suddenly did a 180. Things just turned up a notch. 

After scrapping his trip to the Caesars Superdome, Lane Kiffin will catch Kim Mulkey’s undefeated No. 5 LSU women’s basketball squad take on No. 11 Kentucky in a high-stakes SEC showdown on New Year’s Day. Could this sudden switch mess with LSU football’s recruiting game?