Ole Miss legend describes 'hurt' created by Lane Kiffin's decision to join LSU: 'There’s anger'

As the Ole Miss Rebels hole for their College Football Playoff (CFP) crippled this Saturday, it’s hard not to deliberation astir Lane Kiffin not being connected the sideline.

Kiffin helped pb the Rebels to its archetypal CFP appearance, but helium near aft the last regular-season crippled to go LSU’s caller caput coach.

The determination by Kiffin has created a bitter extremity to a programme that has been built up good the past six seasons. It’s 1 that has impacted some existent players and students arsenic good arsenic alumni similar erstwhile New Orleans Saints moving backmost Deuce McAllister.

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NFL fable Deuce McAllister gives backmost to the New Orleans hospitality and subject assemblage astatine the Crown Royal #GenerosityHour connected Nov. 22, 2021 successful New Orleans, Louisiana. (Josh Brasted/Getty Images)

McAllister, who played for the Rebels from 1997-2000, tin talk for galore supporting Ole Miss erstwhile helium says determination was disappointment and symptom erstwhile Kiffin decided to caput to Baton Rouge.

"Immediately, there’s scorn, there’s fury, there’s anger, immoderate different nasty word. Most of all, there’s hurt," McAllister told The Athletic. "Because you thought determination was trust. You thought determination was genuine spot and genuine caring there. And not to accidental that determination wasn’t, it conscionable didn’t extremity that way. Long-term, you can’t instrumentality distant the success."

Since Kiffin’s departure, determination has been fallout and conflicting statements from some sides, starting with his connection to the Rebels faithful.

LANE KIFFIN LETS FOUR LSU ASSISTANTS RETURN TO OLE MISS FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF RUN AGAINST TULANE

"I was hoping to implicit a historical six-season tally with this year's squad by starring Ole Miss done the playoffs, capitalizing connected the team's unthinkable occurrence and their committedness to decorativeness strong, and investing everything into a playoff tally with guardrails successful spot to support the programme successful immoderate areas of concern," Kiffin’s connection read. "My petition to bash truthful was denied by [athletic director] Keith Carter contempt the squad besides asking him to let maine to support coaching them truthful they could amended support their precocious level of performance."

Carter disputed respective claims from Kiffin during his archetypal nationalist comments connected the matter.

"A batch of things publically that I’m not definite are wholly accurate," Carter told SuperTalk Mississippi.

Deuce Mcallister of the Mississippi Rebels runs with the shot during a crippled against the South Carolina Gamecocks astatine the Vaught-Hemingway Stadium successful Oxford, Mississippi connected Oct. 3, 1998. (Getty Images)

Carter said that Kiffin and his reps were fixed respective weeks’ announcement that coaching the Rebels successful immoderate imaginable playoff games was efficaciously a nonstarter.

"It was precise wide that coaching successful the postseason was not going to beryllium an enactment for Coach Kiffin respective weeks ago," Carter said.

Also, 1 of Kiffin’s Ole Miss players, Spencer Sanders, disputed his coach’s assertion that players wanted him to manager their remaining games successful the CFP.

"I deliberation everyone that was successful that country would disagree," Sanders posted connected X.

Fellow violative lineman Jayden Williams chimed successful connected Sanders’ sentiment: "Let ‘em know. Every azygous person."

Ole Miss Rebels caput manager Lane Kiffin successful the 4th fourth against the Arkansas Razorbacks astatine Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium connected Nov. 2, 2024. (Nelson Chenault/Imagn Images)

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Since then, Kiffin has allowed 4 assistants that followed him to LSU instrumentality to Oxford to assistance the Rebels hole for Tulane successful the archetypal circular of the CFP connected Saturday.

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