One of Lane Kiffin’s former players claims the veteran coach was being disingenuous in his parting message to Ole Miss.
After months of speculation, news of Kiffin’s move to LSU was finally reported last week. The 50-year-old confirmed the move in a parting message to the Ole Miss program, its players, and the fan base.
“I was hoping to complete a historic six season run with this year’s team by leading Ole Miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on the team’s incredible success and their commitment to finish strong, and investing everything into a playoff run with guardrails in place to protect the program in any areas of concern,” part of Kiffin’s message read.
“My request to do so was denied by Keith Carter despite the team also asking him to allow me to keep coaching them so they could better maintain their high level of performance. Unfortunately, that means Friday’s Egg Bowl was my last game coaching the Rebels.”
You can read Kiffin’s full statement here.
Days later, Ole Miss linebacker Suntarine Perkins chimed in, alleging that the message Kiffin posted on social media differed from the one he told others in private.
“That was not the message you said in the meeting room,” said Perkins. “Everybody that was in there can vouch on this.”
That was not the message you said in the meeting room. Everybody that was in there can vouch on this . https://t.co/tssQmvGgQ3
— suntarine perkins (@suntarine) December 3, 2025
It remains unclear which part of Kiffin’s statement specifically irritated Perkins enough to put out his own message.
It could be about how much Kiffin truly wanted to continue coaching Ole Miss through its historic 2025 campaign. It may also be about the circumstances that led to Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter to allegedly deny Kiffin’s request to see out the season.
Whatever the case, it’s evident that Kiffin’s move has not sit well with some members of the Ole Miss roster. One of Perkins’ teammates released a clip mocking Kiffin just one day after news of his LSU move went public.
