Archie Manning did not bother with subtlety. The Ole Miss icon delivered a direct and unapologetic message to Rebel fans the moment Lane Kiffin’s exit became official. His video cut straight through the usual politeness surrounding coaching changes.

“As you know, the Rebels had a great year,” Archie Manning said in a video posted by Everything Ole Miss on December 9. “I think we’re going to do great in the playoffs without our narcissist jerk coach. I sure hope so.”

Archie Manning’s history at Ole Miss from 1968-1970 gives weight to every word. He started three seasons under Johnny Vaught and produced one of the greatest individual performances in SEC history in 1969, throwing for 436 yards and rushing for 104 more against Alabama. That outing set conference records that stood for decades. So when someone with that resume calls out a departing HC, it becomes the headline. And that message set the entire tone of the week in Oxford, and it perfectly captured the frustration bubbling inside the program.

Lane Kiffin walked away after six seasons, leaving a program in the middle of a College Football Playoff push, a move many inside the building still view as reckless. After agreeing to a seven-year, $91 million deal at LSU, On3’s Brett McMurphy reported that he threatened to poach players and staff if he was not allowed to finish coaching the 2025 season with Ole Miss. But AD Keith Carter shut that plan down immediately, preventing what would have been a chaotic postseason sideline. 

The transfer portal implications, however, arrived quickly. Cam Newton, on his 4th & 1 podcast, predicted opt-outs and potential movement toward LSU as most players commit to a coach rather than a school. The early recruiting fallout backed him up. Ole Miss’ 2026 class absorbed five decommitments after Lane Kiffin left. LSU picked up JC Anderson, Corey Barber, and Ryan Miret, all former Ole Miss commits, directly following the HC’s move.

Before this, Archie Manning addressed the situation again on WWLA, offering another blunt assessment. 

“Well, we didn’t have a chance to keep him at Ole Miss because we had God and Nick Saban telling him to go to LSU,” he said. 

Lane Kiffin confirmed that Nick Saban advised him. The former Alabama HC told The Pat McAfee Show that he gives honest advice to anyone who asks.

“I don’t think you can go from one SEC school to another without a whole bunch of people getting pissed off,” he said. “For the love of the game, I’m always gonna give them the best information that I can.”

The external forces behind Lane Kiffin’s decision added another layer to the week’s drama.

Ole Miss is set for historic CFP run without Lane Kiffin

Even after his departure, Lane Kiffin sent a public message to Ole Miss preparing for the playoff.

“Go win it all,” he posted. 

Multiple LSU assistants, all former Ole Miss staffers, returned to Oxford to help Charlie Weis Jr. prepare the 11-1 Rebels for the playoffs. The setup is unprecedented, but Ole Miss accepted it to secure stability before the CFP opener. Now, they turn to the postseason with a new HC in Pete Golding and a familiar opponent waiting.

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No. 6 Ole Miss hosts No. 11 Tulane on December 20 in a rematch the Rebels won 45-10 earlier this season. It marks the program’s first-ever College Football Playoff appearance and comes with a clear road. Beat Tulane and face No. 3 Georgia. The Bulldogs are the only team to beat Ole Miss in 2025, erasing a 35-26 fourth-quarter deficit with 17 unanswered points.

Ole Miss enters the postseason with a top-three offense nationally (498.1 yards per game) and a defense ranked 24th in scoring. Tulane counters with a +10 turnover margin, a mobile QB in Jake Retzlaff, and a defense that struggles on third down and against the pass. Statistical edges favor Ole Miss, especially with Trinidad Chambliss (3,016 yards, 18 TDs), Kewan Lacy (1,279 rushing yards, 20 TDs), and Harrison Wallace III leading a deep skill group. If Ole Miss plays to its statistical averages, it should overpower Tulane and earn a shot at avenging its only loss.