Football coach says some top recruits would tell him they were not interested in coming to Ole Miss while he was running the program there before his move to LSU.
Kiffin discussed the concerns in a recent article in
鈥�(They would say), 鈥楬ey, coach, we really like you. But my grandparents aren鈥檛 letting me move to Oxford, Mississippi,鈥�” Kiffin said, according to the magazine. 鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 come up when you say Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Parents were sitting here this weekend saying the campus鈥� diversity feels so great: 鈥業t feels like there鈥檚 no segregation. And we want that for our kid because that鈥檚 the real world.'”
According to the article, Kiffin clarified his remark one day later: 鈥淚 just hope (my comment) comes across respectful to Ole Miss鈥�. There are some things that I鈥檓 saying that are factual, they鈥檙e not shots.鈥�
The population of Baton Rouge, home to LSU’s campus, is 52% Black and 34% white, according to 2024 census data. Oxford, home to Ole Miss, is 66% white and 26% Black.
Kiffin led Ole Miss to a 50-19 record from 2020-25 for Southeastern Conference rival LSU, which offered him a seven-year contract worth about $13 million annually.
Kiffin accepted the LSU job after leading Ole Miss to an last fall. Kiffin said at the time that his request to continue coaching the Rebels throughout the College Football Playoff had been denied. Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter with some of Kiffin’s comments.
who had been a defensive coordinator on Kiffin’s staff, took over at Ole Miss and led the Rebels to playoff victories over and before they in a Fiesta Bowl semifinal
___
AP college football: and
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
