Sports Story of the Week
Lane Kiffin returns to Ole Miss
While I usually write this newsletter based on recent events, this week, I am going to the history leading up to a future event. This upcoming weekend, Lane Kiffin, head coach at Louisiana State University (LSU) returns to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, in Oxford to play against his old team- and his old employer- the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss).
For those that don't know the story, Lane Kiffin abruptly left his role as head coach at Ole Miss in late Fall of 2025, roughly three weeks before their playoff run for the national championship began. As happens in college football, other coaches from Ole Miss got on that plane with Lane to head from Oxford to Baton Rouge. Key Players from the team soon followed.
When I tell you this situation was drama, it was DRAMA. Like Real Housewives or Vanderpump Rules level drama. Fans lined the airport to yell boooos and share their feelings with Coach Kiffin while many joined in online. Lane Kiffin had led the Ole Miss team to an 11-1 season in 2025 and their first College Football Play-Off birth. Instead of planning for that playoff run, Coach Kiffin was behind the scenes putting his name out for top jobs, knowing that his stock was high and the time was right to capitalize on it. Big Jobs were open, teams and programs that Kiffin felt had a better, faster route to holding up the National Championship Trophy.
So on November 30, 2025 Lane Kiffin signed a contract with LSU, drove to the airport via a little used gravel road, did a quick stealthy interview with ESPN's Marty Smith, and then boarded a plane "Callin' Baton Rouge"
Its an understatement that this was a tumultuous exit. Kiffin wanted to continue to coach through the National Championship, and was shocked he couldn't maintain the relationships that he had just obliterated with his decision, and that they were offended with the reasoning he justified it with- that he had a better chance to win the Natty.
While Kiffin moved on, Ole Miss was left in the chaos to decide what to do in the present moment in order to salvage their future. They immediately promoted Defensive Coordinator Pete Golding to Head Coach, and he did what he could to stop the bleeding, eliminate the drama, and build relationships with everyone involved.
And that he did. Golding and his team went on to defeat Tulane and Georgia in the playoffs before falling in the national semifinals, finishing with a final 13–2 record. Not only that, but he successfully navigated relationships with coaches that were leaving, including Offensive Play Caller Charlie Weis Jr. coming in to run the offensive before joining LSU.
Golding was named the permanent head coach for Ole Miss, and this year, they are 2-0 and ranked #8 in the country. Kiffin has also had success at LSU and is also 2-0 and ranked #7 in the county.
And back to this weekend, where a game and date that has been highlighted on both teams calendar since November 30, 2025 is here. LSU at Ole Miss. Kiffin vs. Golding. In the world of talent acquisition and employment, we have a term for employees that have left the company and return, the "Boomerang Employees"
And in the words of JoJo Siwa:
"I don't really care 'bout what they say
I'ma come back like a boomerang (Hey, hey)
Won't let the haters get their way (Hey, hey, hey)
I'ma come back like a boomerang"
And Lane Kiffin "really don't care 'bout what they say". But his boomerang journey is different. He isn't coming back to join the team, he is coming back to try to beat the team. Using some of the same staff and talent that less than a year ago played for those same fans.
It will be UGLY. No doubt. There are plans in place for extra security. There are conversations happening that are in public and in private. How do we keep the players and the coaches safe while they are here. This is Taylor Swift level security, and that isn't even the preparation and the emotion that will happen ON the field. There are pleas for Southern Hospitality- which I think is outranked by Southern Passion for football.
There are so many lessons and nuances here. The fact that for being high profile, the college football world is relatively small. That Lane Kiffin is diving head first to the new era of football seeming to push even the outer edge of the few rules left, while is seems Golding is building something solid, maintaining a bit of the tradition while embracing the change.
We have no idea what will happen Saturday night, but it will no doubt be a storyline to watch. And for me, who watches the sideline and the background like a Hawk- this one have plenty of dynamics to watch.
The 3 Lessons from Kiffin/Golding
1. Always leave with a door open, or at least a window.
Career moves are sometimes necessary, and ambition itself is not disloyal. But how you leave becomes part of your professional reputation. This is not Kiffin's first controversial exit. It wasn't that he wanted to leave, it was the secrecy, the timing, and how his public words in the days and weeks before were different than his decision and conversations he was having in the background.
Industries, Communities, and even the world is smaller than it appears. Former employers become future clients, partners, references, or in this case- competitors. You cannot control whether people like your decision, but you can control whether you communicate with transparency, stay true to your values, honor commitments, and preserve relationships. Burning a bridge is especially dangerous when your career may eventually lead you right back to it.
2. Being a stabilizing force in chaos is the real leadership flex.
Golding didn't inherit a team, he inherited a group of people who were pissed off, betrayed, grieving, uncertain and vulnerable. When thrust into a chaotic transition, the best leaders are able to have emotional control, regulation and bring quiet to the drama. Golding did just his, he reinforce his commitment to the community, rebuilt and repaired relationships, and focused on the people in the room who were directly impacted by this decision. Success in the wake of a crisis isn't about the flashy moves. It's about putting your head down, doing the foundational work, and showing your team that you are fully invested in their future. His ability to keep departing coaches’ exits dignified and reassure the humans on the roster mattered as much as any of the games or plays. Leaders stepping into a role, particularly in crisis or chaos need a plan for stabilizing people before they can execute on any strategy.
3. Aggressive Opportunism vs. Building Something
It is always tempting to chase the fastest, flashiest route to the top. And the current need for speed isn't getting any better. However, what might be ambition can quickly cross the line into opportunism. Where you are pushing the boundaries of the rules, constantly looking for a shortcut, and jumping at what looks like an easier, faster path to the goal. You might even get the result. But operating with a "grass is greener" mentality often leaves a wake of destruction behind. When a leader's strategy is built entirely on taking shortcuts rather than doing the heavy work required for success, the results become transactional not transformational.
To have true organizational resilience you need to build with intention. You don't have to remain stuck in the past to respect the foundation that has been built. IF you can build something new, or even change for something different, by laying a foundation of work, that organization will be better for it, not worse. A cutthroat, opportunistic approach might secure a quick win, but an organization with an identity, core values, and established priorities will take on the challenge of massive disruption, rally together, and truly thrive.
