How Ole Miss is handling aftermath of Lane Kiffin saga

The No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels are set to take on the No. 20 Tulane Green Wave in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday. Leading up to the contest, an awesome video was shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, about the program adjusting to life after Lane Kiffin left for the LSU Tigers job.

Marty Smith of ESPN sat down with several Ole Miss players and new head coach Pete Golding. In the clip, some players admitted it was a shock to see Kiffin leave the program in the middle of a brilliant 2025-26 season where the Rebels are competing in the postseason for a possible championship run.

.@MartySmithESPN returns to Oxford, MS to speak with new head coach Pete Golding, as well as several Ole Miss players, to see how the Rebels are moving on with life after Lane Kiffin. pic.twitter.com/Be77sBZaDz

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) December 20, 2025

Ultimately, it appears Ole Miss is handling itself just fine after the Lane Kiffin saga. The back end of the regular season was filled with drama, as the 50-year-old head coach dragged the process on for several weeks. Many believed Kiffin was going to remain with the Rebels, but he signed a seven-year, $91 million contract with LSU.

The Rebels seem to be rallying behind Golding, who was named the new head coach of the program shortly after Kiffin left. Pete Golding, who is 41 years old, is making his head coaching debut in Saturday’s College Football Playoff matchup against Tulane.

It’s an odd situation, as not many coaches begin their tenure in the postseason. We’ll see how it plays out for the team. The good news for Ole Miss is that the matchup against Tulane is considered a favorable one. Whichever team wins this contest will advance to the next round to face off against No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs.

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