When Auburn began the search for the program’s next head coach toward the end of the 2022 college football season, Lane Kiffin quickly became the school’s top choice.
In an interview with ESPN on Friday, Kiffin revealed that criticism he received from some fans about how he handled the process had left him feeling conflicted.
For several weeks, Kiffin weighed the pros and cons between the opportunity at Auburn and his current job with the Rebels.
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Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin looks on during a college football game against the Alabama Crimson Tide on November 12, 2022, at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi. (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
But Kiffin believes he took the right approach in the midst of a difficult situation.
«We’re wrong all the time,» Kiffin said. «But when you think you’re doing the right thing, and then you’re really criticized for it, especially by your own people, I struggled with that because I feel like I went through a decision-making process that you’re supposed to go through.»
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Three days before Ole Miss closed out the regular season, WCBI News reported that Kiffin was expected to step down from his head coaching job and take the reins as Auburn’s next coach.
A short time later, Kiffin took to Twitter to respond to the report by posting a photo of himself reading «The Egg Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Ole Miss» along with the caption: «Only reading late at night @OleMissFB.»
Kiffin later quoted and tweeted a WCBI reporter’s tweet and said, in part, «That’s news to me, Jon.»
Ultimately, Kiffin stayed at Oxford while Auburn decided to hire Hugh Freeze as the 31st head football coach in the school’s 129-year history.
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin on the sidelines during the NCAA football game between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on September 17, 2022 at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Prior to joining Auburn, Freeze served as Liberty’s head coach from 2019 to 2022.
Kiffin revealed his intentions to remain with Ole Miss to his players before a game against Mississippi State, ESPN reported. Ole Miss suffered a 24-22 loss to Mississippi State.
Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin during the game against the Central Arkansas Bears at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on September 10, 2022 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)
Kiffin would not say anything publicly about his decision until after the season, because he did not want to become a distraction.
But «sometimes the right thing doesn’t always go right in some areas,» Kiffin told ESPN.
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Kiffin has helped change the Ole Miss program. He went 5-5 in his first season at Oxford, which was shortened by two games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Rebels have gone 18-8 over the past two seasons with Kiffin leading the way.