After Ole Miss defeated LSU for the third time in five years Saturday, Rebels’ coach Lane Kiffin couldn’t help himself.
No less than 12 times in two postgame interviews, he referenced LSU’s talent glut.
“Well, LSU has a great team. They have great players,” he said on ABC seconds after his team’s 24-19 win at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. “That’s one of the best rosters in America.”
We’ll call that two references. And only one of them is correct. LSU may have the best NCAA Transfer Portal roster in America as that class of 18 was named No. 1 by 247sports.com, but that’s a limited pool of players. And not all portal players are the cream of the crop, including a few in that class. They’re just available and more experienced. The No. 1 recruiting classes from high schools still have more talent overall from obviously larger bodies of water.
“That’s why I’m angry again today. I haven’t been able to get it out.”
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) September 30, 2025
-Brian Kelly to Paul Finebaum on losing “winnable” game at Ole Miss:https://t.co/19qRhSOPLD
LSU clearly does not have “one of the best rosters in America.” Just look at the offensive line. And the Tigers do not have a great running back. They also have a bevy of very good receivers, but I wouldn’t say a great one.
Then in his press conference, Kiffin continued his frequent agenda of praising programs with a lot of player talent, like LSU coach Brian Kelly’s team. And that’s a way of taking a veiled shot at the coach. Kiffin did this a lot with former Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher, who has a bit in common with Kelly in addition to Kiffin not thinking much of his coaching ability while likely being envious of their salaries when hired. Kiffin was 3-0 against Fisher from 2020-23 before Fisher was fired. As Ole Miss’ coach, he is 2-2 against Kelly. And he has really loved beating each of them.
LANE KIFFIN SEEMED TO BE MAKING PREEMPTIVE EXCUSES IN CASE HE LOST TO LSU AGAIN
Fisher was also hired by Scott Woodward when Woodward was the Aggies’ athletic director to a huge long term contract. Fisher started fast, including a win over Alabama and coach Nick Saban in his fourth year in 2021, fizzled, had a losing season, another average one, never reached the playoffs or won the West and got fired. As LSU athletic director, Woodward hired Kelly to a huge long term contract. Kelly started fast with a win over Saban and Alabama and the SEC West title in his first year in 2022, but has averaged 3.6 losses a season and no playoffs.
Right out of the gate, Kiffin start talking LSU talent Saturday at his postgame press conference.
“I thought that their defense was as advertised. I mean, they’re loaded on defense,” he said in sentences five and six. “And I told Brian Kelly in warm-ups, ‘You guys look like an NFL team down there.’ When you play against great players, assistant coaches have got to coach really well.”
That’s three more references for a total of five, and we’re just getting warmed up.
Tiger Rag cover jinx?https://t.co/jKPmcbAxxk pic.twitter.com/r2wn8RyrDh
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) September 30, 2025
“That’s a lot of our players doing right, if you’re going to outgain by over 200 yards (480 to 254) LSU with all those great players they have,” Kiffin said with reference number six, which was more of a shot at LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker.
Kiffin then said this about avoiding LSU stud cornerback Mansoor Delane, whom the Tigers got out of the portal.
“When you’re against that many great players on defense, you’ve got to find one that’s below the other great ones and try to win that match-up,” he said for reference number seven. “I thought our guys did that.”
On Ole Miss running on its first seven plays of its last drive to run out the final 5:04, Kiffin said of Baker’s defense, “They’re really good players, especially when they know you’re running at the end.” And still couldn’t stop them.
And that’s reference number eight.
After a question on Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding’s unit holding LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier to a career-low 197 passing yards and the Tigers to 254 total yards amid 2-of-11 conversions on third down, Kiffin said, “LSU has struggled this year offensively, but they still have great players. I mean they’ve got great receivers, and obviously Nussmeier is a really good quarterback.”
That’s numbers nine and 10.
When asked about being 5-0 and avenging a frustratring 29-26 overtime loss at LSU last year in which the Rebels outgained the Tigers, Kiffin said, “When the other team is loaded with players and has NFL players all over the place, which you’ll see in the draft the next two years coming out of there, that feels good. Because you’ve got to do a lot of things right – coaching and playing to beat them.”
And the “loaded with players” comment and the NFL Draft reference brings Kiffin’s total to 12.
Funny, after Kiffin lost at LSU last season, he didn’t discuss his team being “loaded with players.” When LSU beat Ole Miss last season, the Tigers had the No. 43-ranked portal class in the nation by 247.sports.com with nine transfers to Ole Miss’ No. 1 class with 26 players.
He didn’t mention Ole Miss had higher ranked portal classes than LSU in 2023 and ’22 as well.
And after the win last year, Kelly said nothing about the “NFL players all over the place” that Ole Miss had, which you saw in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Ole Miss had eight players drafted last spring, including two in the first round (DT Walter Nolen and QB Jaxson Dart) and five in the first three rounds. LSU had seven taken in the first round of the ’25 draft as well with one in the first round (OT Will Campbell) and four in the first three rounds.
Kiffin also never mentioned how much talent he had last year when he lost to clearly less talented Kentucky and Florida, in addition to LSU.
Kiffin also doesn’t want you to know how talented his team is this season. He did sign the No. 4 portal class last year with 30 and managed to sign the No. 16 recruiting class with another 23.
Oh, and right now, his quarterback, Trinidad Chambliss, is better than LSU’s, and he can run, too.
But Kiffin didn’t discuss that either. He’ll keep riding the Ole Miss underdog Lane Train right into the playoffs. Unless Kiffin blows that again this year.
And if things eventually do not work out for Kelly as they didn’t for Fisher, Kiffin will miss him, too.
Be the first to comment