When Lane Kiffin made the decision to leave Ole Miss, the program he helped revive, to take a job with an SEC rival, it turned him from a hero in Oxford to public enemy No. 1. The Rebels' fanbase has put an insane level of pressure on the team to win this game and stick it to their former coach. The fans have a ton of hate for Kiffin, but it's not always clear if players and coaches share that same sentiment.
Zxavian Harris was one of the most outspoken Rebels against Lane Kiffin when he took the LSU job, but he even showed it's just business as he tried to return to college to play for Kiffin. Plenty of coaches and players have swapped sides in this rivalry, and in an era where everything is transactional, the hate may not exist the way Ole Miss fans would hope it does.
Pete Golding reveals he and Lane Kiffin remain close with incredible story
Ahead of Saturday's showdown, Pete Golding joined the Pat McAfee Show on Friday, where his relationship with his former boss was a hot topic of discussion. After everyone was up in arms about Lane Kiffin putting Sam Leavitt as doubtful on his first injury report, Pete Golding shared some insight into his behind-the-scenes talks with Kiffin as the two joked about Leavitt's status.
"I got the text from Lane Kiffin before the injury report went out 😂😂
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 18, 2026
I think our first injury report had 42 guys on it..
I told him I'll see you Saturday" ~ @CoachGolding #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/WvSD0CKgGR
The fans want Pete Golding to mirror their hate for Lane Kiffin, but the fact of the matter is that the coaches and players get it more than the fans ever could. Everyone in the sport is making business decisions, whether it's to take a new job as a coach or to transfer as a player. The fact of the matter is that Lane Kiffin's decision to take the LSU job benefitted Golding, as he finally got a head coaching gig.
Golding himself shared that there's not a beef between the two, like everyone tries to manufacture as everyone is making business decisions.
"There ain't no beef between us that everybody tries to make.
— Thad Wells (@ThadWells) September 18, 2026
Everybody's got business decisions every January.
I wouldn't be standing in front of you without him."
— Pete Golding on McAfee today https://t.co/sdGbKYb0m9 pic.twitter.com/7OLBugVh7w
LSU fans are perfectly fine with Lane Kiffin not "hating" Ole Miss, as it's clear he valued the school more; otherwise, he would've stayed in Oxford. On the other side, the Ole Miss fans want Pete Golding to hate Lane Kiffin and want Golding to go scorched earth on his former boss at every turn. If Ole Miss wins games and beats LSU, the Rebels fans won't care about the friendship, but if he loses to Kiffin, the fans will start to use it against him.
Ole Miss fans will never admit it, but they don't hate Lane Kiffin; they're still in love with him and hurt that he left them for a better opportunity. The Rebels faithful spend more time talking about their former head coach than their current team, and the only reason why is that they're still obsessed with him.
The result of Saturday's game will have a much bigger impact on how Ole Miss fans feel about their head coach than it will on LSU fans and Kiffin, and that's because all the Rebels want is for their coach and team to hate Kiffin the way that they do.
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