Not Ole Miss: SEC juggernaut reportedly preparing final offer to poach Lane Kiffin, LSU’s star Sam Leavitt

It’s no secret the Ole Miss Rebels can barely stand Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers following the head coach’s controversial mid-season move. Still, a report around college football indicates Ole Miss is not the school trying to land Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt, who has been announced as the latest portal addition for the Fightin’ Tigers.

Although all signs indicate Trinidad Chambliss made his final NCAA appearance during the VRBO Fiesta Bowl loss to the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoffs semifinal, Ole Miss is staying away from the market for Leavitt. Instead, the Tennessee Volunteers are looking to rain down on Kiffin and LSU’s parade.

“Tennessee and Sam Leavitt’s camp have been in regular contact throughout Monday, and the Volunteers were never told he was going to LSU,” as reported by On3 and insider Pete Nakos. “The Vols are compiling one final offer.”

Tennessee puts LSU on notice

Just when everyone around college football believed Kiffin had found the perfect match for the vacant QB1 job in Baton Rouge, the Volunteers are hoping to spoil the party.

Sam Leavitt at AT&T Stadium on December 07, 2024 in Arlington, Texas

According to the information provided, Tennessee is not giving up on its pursuit of the former Sun Devils star. On the contrary, the Vols are mounting an all-out effort that could deliver the biggest plot twist of the NCAA offseason—and hand Kiffin his first major loss since becoming the Tigers’ new head coach in Louisiana.

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More drama for Kiffin and the Tigers

Some might say that what starts badly ends badly. In LSU’s case, what gets off to a dramatic start is almost guaranteed to be filled with drama through and through.

Kiffin’s arrival in Baton Rouge has been anything but ordinary—even by college football standards. In a sport that has seen all kinds of chaos unfold in otherwise laid-back towns, Kiffin’s cinematic exit from Oxford to Baton Rouge made enough noise to echo for ages.

The 2026 NCAA season is still a long ways ahead—after all, the 2025 campaign has yet to declare its national champion, but Kiffin and the Ole Miss-looking like LSU football program is already grabbing headlines left to right across the nation.