Lane Kiffin, LSU Tigers football coach, was the subject of a very contentious feature article in Vanity Fair that reads like a hatchet job on the Ole Miss Rebels, the University of Mississippi, and the Magnolia State as a whole. Vanity Fair’s official X account posted a section from the article that depicts Oxford as a racially hostile environment in comparison to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
According to Kiffin, while coaching there, top recruits would tell him, “Hey, coach, we really like you. But my grandparents won’t allow me to move to Oxford, Mississippi. ‘ That isn’t the first thing that springs to mind when you think of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Parents visiting campus this weekend said the campus’s diversity felt fantastic. “It feels like there’s no segregation. “
This piece, predictably, was not popular in Mississippi. As 247Sports’ Chase Parham pointed out, the opening line of Vanity Fair’s story told a now-debunked tale about Kiffin being driven off the road in Oxford after accepting the LSU position.
“Your lede contains a falsehood that the Mississippi Highway Patrol openly refuted and dishonest imagery intended to elicit emotion. May as well own. “You wrote a fluff piece for access and click purposes,” Parham said.
Meanwhile, On3’s Brad Logan shared a video of 2023 defensive line commitment William Echoles’ mother explaining why Ole Miss felt like a safe home to her daughter even before William committed. Logan stated, “The confederate flag was banned in 1983. “
Slate’s Alex Kirschner believes it was “the most cynical thing Lane has ever attempted. “
Paul Finebaum doesn’t know whether Lane Kiffin is ever being “sincere. “
Perhaps the worst aspect of Kiffin’s desire to be in the spotlight, for good or bad reasons, is that insiders, such as SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum, are unsure if it is an act or not.
“After four hours of speaking with Kiffin, I’m baffled: Is he endearingly sincere or so full of crap that it’s an art form? ” said Vanity Fair’s Chris Smith, the author of the anti-Mississippi piece.
“I first met him in 2009, and I can’t make up my mind either. Lane Kiffin is an introvert and a drama queen. He is honest, and he receives insufficient credit for his acting talent. Finebaum says, “That’s what makes him interesting, and it’s why he’s the most contentious coach in college football. “
We’ll see how much more Kiffin has to say, and how much more ragebait he has in store for the Rebels supporters before LSU and Ole Miss face off on September 19 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
