Ole Miss Players Push Back on Lane Kiffin’s Statement After LSU Departure

OXFORD, Miss. — Lane Kiffin’s exit from Ole Miss was dramatic enough on its own — but what followed may be even more telling. After releasing a public statement Sunday claiming he wanted to “keep coaching” the Rebels through the College Football Playoff, “because the team asked him to,” multiple Ole Miss players quickly and publicly contradicted his account.

And they didn’t mince words.

The first shot came from center Brycen Sanders, who reposted Kiffin’s statement and honed in on one particular line: “Despite the team asking me to keep coaching…” Sanders responded bluntly:

“‘Despite the team asking me to keep coaching.’ I think everyone that was in that room would disagree.” — Brycen Sanders on X

“Despite the team asking me to keep coaching”. I think everyone that was in that room would disagree https://t.co/p4g4qDR9XF

— Brycen Sanders (@BrycenSanders1) December 3, 2025

It was a direct challenge to Kiffin’s version of events — a rare moment in college football where a player openly calls out a departing head coach for misrepresenting a conversation.

But Sanders wasn’t alone.

Moments later, star linebacker/EDGE Suntarine Perkins stepped in to back Sanders with an even stronger rebuttal:

That was not the message you said in the meeting room. Everybody that was in there can vouch on this . https://t.co/tssQmvGgQ3

— suntarine perkins (@suntarine) December 3, 2025

“That was not the message you said in the meeting room. Everybody that was in there can vouch on this.”
— Suntarine Perkins on X

With two respected starters disputing Kiffin’s explanation — one from the offensive side of the ball, one from the defense — it certainly suggests a very different picture from the one Kiffin attempted to present publicly.

A Locker Room Ready to Move On

Their comments align closely with the tone that sources inside the program have described since Saturday night’s tense team meeting — frustration, disappointment, and a collective desire to close the door on the drama and rally behind new head coach Pete Golding.

What’s clear now is at least some players do not agree with Kiffin’s claim that the team wanted him to coach in the CFP, and they appear to feel he misrepresented their meeting.

The New Era Begins

While Kiffin departs for LSU under a cloud of tension and conflicting accounts, Ole Miss players seem intent on rallying together — not around a coach who left, but around each other and the staff staying in Oxford.

(Click here to read more about the Rebels’ staff updates for postseason.)

In a season defined by history-making wins, the Rebels now find themselves united by something else: A shared belief that the truth matters — and a determination to write the rest of this season on their own terms.