Will Lane Kiffin coach Ole Miss in 2025 College Football Playoffs after taking LSU job?

Finally, one of the most talked-about sagas in recent college football hours has come to an end. Lane Kiffin has left the Ole Miss Rebels and is now the new head coach of the LSU Tigers.

Ahead of a new edition of the College Football Playoffs, the experienced coach decided to accept the Tigers’ offer to replace Brian Kelly, meaning he will no longer be leading the Rebels in the immediate future.

According to Mark Schlabach and Pete Thamel of ESPN, Kiffin will not be leading the team in the upcoming CFP, a significant loss for a squad that has serious aspirations of reaching the next National Championship Game.

John Talty, meanwhile, also reported via his official X account that once the deal between LSU and the head coach was finalized, Ole Miss decided to prevent Kiffin from coaching in the Playoffs.

Lane Kiffin at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on September 27, 2025 in Oxford, Mississippi.

Who will replace Kiffin?

With Lane Kiffin departing to LSU, the Ole Miss Rebels must swiftly name an interim head coach to lead the program through its inaugural College Football Playoff appearance. Ole Miss had two potential replacement options internally who could steady the ship, and finally, they settled on one of them.

see also

Lane Kiffin breaks silence, confirms decision to leave Ole Miss for LSU

According to the official Rebels website, Pete Golding will take over the Ole Miss first team on an interim basis. Until Kiffin’s departure, he served as the team’s defensive coordinator.

“With this development, we could not be more excited to announce Pete Golding as the next head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. His tenure will begin immediately as he leads our program in the pursuit of a national title. Today’s team meeting was a clear indicator of his ability to galvanize our squad. All of our players and coaches are ecstatic and ready to lock arms for a playoff run.”