Two months ago, HC Lane Kiffin’s departure from Ole Miss seemed almost impossible. But now, all those talks about an undying relationship between the two seem to have gone out the window. Things are tense at Oxford tonight, as the 50-year-old gears up for his potential move to LSU. The beloved coach is planning to gut his own team before his move, as the fraying relationship between him and the Rebels becomes clearer.

247Sports’ Chase Parham reported that Ole Miss has pushed a surprise team meeting to 1 pm from its scheduled 9 am slot. The delay behind this meeting is reportedly due to Lane Kiffin making a dangerous threat. According to On3’s Brett McMurphy, the HC plans to poach the offensive staff and the Rebels roster if he doesn’t get to coach the rest of the season. But Parham alarmingly clarified that Kiffin might plan to do this today itself.

In a few hours, Ole Miss might be gripped in utter chaos. AD Keith Carter already confirmed that a decision will come after the Egg Bowl. But Lane Kiffin plans to bow out of Oxford on a grand finish, as Ole Miss hinges on a playoff spot. The program, unfortunately, seems to be done with him. Though the head coach has threatened to steal players out of Oxford, the vibe isn’t so in the locker room.

Kiffin made an eye-catching statement at a November 24 presser about how a coach’s presence isn’t so much of a concern for players at a team in this era. FOX Sports’ Aaron Torres, however, vehemently disagreed.

“I can tell you, unequivocally, from 100 percent sourced, first hand knowledge, Lane Kiffin is *not* speaking for all his players here,” Torres wrote on X. “There are a lot of guys in that locker room who are not happy to be part of the Lane Kiffin circus. Nor do I blame them.”

The sad part of this breakup is that the cause is Lane Kiffin’s success at Ole Miss. His development of the Rebels over the years and the team’s charge down this season made him the best man available in the market. The relentless and high-profile pursuits from other programs began interfering with Ole Miss as a program. This is a big dent in its public image, which matters a lot for recruiting. It’s not the first time he has been let go before the bowl game.

He was Alabama’s offensive coordinator under Nick Saban, but had already accepted a role at Florida Atlantic. Thus, juggling between two jobs became more difficult to manage. Adding fuel to the fire, Kiffin was reportedly late to a staff meeting just before the team broke for the holiday. That’s why Saban pulled the plug a week before the title game, naming Steve Sarkisian as the replacement.

Lane Kiffin is known to be quite a figure, but Ole Miss refuses to back down from the fight. The program has reportedly given an ultimatum to the entire staff. If they want to stick with Kiffin, they will also have to exit immediately. Kiffin also has his LSU staff in order, per On3’s Chris Low. Ole Miss seems to be riskily gambling away all of its hard-earned success to make a statement.

Ole Miss is already planning to move on from Lane Kiffin mid-season

The latest development on this tense situation was that Ole Miss was “on its way” to Lane Kiffin’s office, confirming that the bond between the two sides has now hit rock bottom. Ole Miss is eager to close the Ole Miss chapter and has reportedly begun planning for new leadership.

“Players are unhappy with Kiffin, and that’s putting it mildly. Ole Miss is deciding the machinations of an interim staff, with either Pete Golding or Joe Judge leading,” Neal McCrady reported on X.

The breakdown between Kiffin and Ole Miss is already evident. But the Rebels are already thinking that a temporary staffing change means that the inevitable is already playing out at Oxford. The question is, will this interim staff be able to lead Ole Miss through the playoffs? It’s a program’s first achievement, and Kiffin has a big hand in making it happen. It’s a very risky decision to make.

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Fans would have wanted nothing more than to see Lane Kiffin on the sidelines during the playoffs. But with all the heightened drama behind the scenes, Ole Miss is willing to pull the trigger even with Lane Kiffin threatening to gut the program.