Lane Kiffin cried crocodile tears on his exit, but Ole Miss had a fitting reply

The now-former Rebels coach Lane Kiffin made sure his exit from Ole Miss was as messy as it could get before boarding the jet to LSU.

After weeks of antagonizing silence on the situation and heightened tensions, Kiffin finally announced his predicted decision of ditching Ole Miss for LSU Sunday afternoon.

"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," Kiffin tweeted, alongside announcing his decision.

"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."

Kiffin's wish to coach in the College Football Playoff was the only thing holding him back from giving in to his temptation to go towards greener pastures.

Ole Miss's fitting reply is named Pete Golding

Ole Miss bluntly said "no way" to Kiffin's outrageous demand with zero hesitation, no matter the threats he threw at them.

Kiffin turned what could have been a decent, peaceful exit into a story where he becomes the villain with the poaching threats, but Ole Miss was ready with their retort.

Moments after Kiffin boarded the jet to Baton Rouge, Ole Miss announced then DC Pete Golding as the new football head coach.

Golding, who has been with the Rebels since the 2023 season, was one of the top candidates in the mix to be Kiffin's replacement amid the storm of rumors, and Kiffin's silence.

Golding has produced consistently improving defenses during his time at Ole Miss. Plus, he is quite familiar with the roster and how Kiffin called the plays that made him the Rebels' best bet.

Golding's familiarity will make navigating through the Playoff much easier than it would be if they had hired a coach from the outside.