Lane Kiffin sends message to Ole Miss quarterback after missing Sugar Bowl over brutal ESPN decision

Ole Miss is moving on from Lane Kiffin, both figuratively and literally.

The former Rebels head coach became the biggest story in college football this season, when he jumped ship from Ole Miss to LSU last month.

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As he was preparing for the playoffs after guiding the school to a 13-1 record, Kiffin signed a $100 million, seven-year contract to take over in Baton Rouge instead.

Many believed the Rebels would crumble in the postseason following the turbulent departure, but that hasn’t been the case — and now they are two games from glory.

Ole Miss cruised to victory in the first round of the College Football Playoff, beating No. 17 Tulane 41-10 under the eye of Pete Golding, who was promoted from defensive coordinator just weeks ago.

Then came a much tougher test against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday.

Once again, the Rebels aced their test, with an incredible back-and-forth win against the No. 3-ranked Bulldogs inside Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss threw for 362 yards and two touchdowns, while the Ole Miss defense made a huge late stop and kicker Lucas Carneiro sent the game-winning field goal through the posts with six seconds left.

With a 39-34 win, the Rebels reached the CFP semifinals for the first time and Kiffin, who has already met with the No. 1 recruit of 2026, was watching from afar.

Lane Kiffin sends message to Rebels after historic win

The former Ole Miss coach took to social media as the Sugar Bowl concluded, and simply shared an emoji of the Trinidad and Tobago flag.

His post was likely a direct reference to quarterback Chambliss, who transferred from Ferris State to the University of Mississippi in April 2025 to play for Kiffin.

When the game officially finished, Kiffin posted a second tweet, which congratulated his old program.

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“What a great finish!!! So much fun!! Only two more to go (Ole Miss),” he wrote, attaching photos of his family celebrating.

He has plenty of reason to be happy, as Ole Miss’ run in the CFP is set to land him bonus money thanks to a unique contract clause.

Kiffin was in Louisiana on Thursday night, but wasn’t in New Orleans to watch the Rebels in the Sugar Bowl.

Instead, he cheered on LSU during a women’s basketball game in Baton Rouge, and also appeared alongside Tigers coach Kim Mulkey as he was paraded around the arena.

But if Kiffin got his way, he would have been inside the Superdome instead.

ESPN denied Lane Kiffin’s Sugar Bowl request

According to On3, the former Ole Miss coach was initially expected to attend the game in New Orleans, and reached out to ESPN about appearing on their broadcast.

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However, that request was denied, and Kiffin opted out of the Sugar Bowl altogether.

“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,” national college football reporter Chris Low wrote.

“Sources say ESPN hasn’t been receptive.”

Any appearance might well have been an unwanted distraction for the Rebels, but with Kiffin staying 80 miles away in Baton Rouge, they were able to get the job done against Georgia.

Now, Ole Miss is preparing for a CFP semifinal against Miami, and will have dreams of playing in the national championship game on January 19.

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