Lane Kiffin Nov 24, 2022; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin reacts while a play is revewed during the fourth quarter of the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

One of the biggest stories in college football last season was if Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin was about to leave Oxford and the Plains of Auburn.

Kiffin admitted a few weeks ago he came very close to leaving, but he explains why he decided to stay in Oxford and it was mainly a family decision.

“Guys, there’s not a day that goes by that I’m not grateful for Oxford, for Ole Miss. Especially with Landry here and her decision to go to Ole Miss. You’re never going to be able to replace that time with your children.”

“I needed Oxford and Ole Miss much more than they needed me. There’s not a day that goes by that I’m not appreciative for my opportunity and support here. Being in that position where someone wants you and wants to keep you is really neat,” he said.

Kiffin posted a picture of he and his daughter as she was getting ready for her prom a few weeks ago and he was dropping hints then that she would be a student there.

Kiffin’s decision to even consider the Auburn job hurt his team down the stretch losing five of six games but Kiffin didn’t consider it a bad thing, in fact, he thinks it helped in the long run.

“You can look at it and say, ‘All right, there’s something we wish wouldn’t have happened, and the whole Auburn thing was a distraction,'” he said. “But you can also look at it and say, ‘If that didn’t happen, what would the collective be?’ And not just in what we signed in the last portal and recruiting class, but the future. Or, more importantly, keeping our own players.”

Lane Kiffin seems to be happy in Oxford, at least for now.

{SI.com}

About Stacey Mickles

Stacey is a 1995 graduate of the University of Alabama who has previously worked for other publications such as Sportskeeda and Saturday Down South.