Lane Kiffin named head coach

Lane Kiffin was officially named the new head football coach at Ole Miss on Saturday afternoon.

Keith Carter’s hot start in his new role at Ole Miss continues with a major hire for the vacant head football coaching job.

After a five-day coaching search, Carter went down to Boca Raton to find Ole Miss’ new head coach, Lane Kiffin, to replace Matt Luke. A Kiffin-led FAU team prevailed over UAB for a 10th win on Saturday before the announcement.

Kiffin has led the FAU Owls to a 25-13 record in three years including an 11-3 campaign in his first year after leaving Alabama, where he served as offensive coordinator from 2014-2016.

Carter elected to fire head football coach Matt Luke after an embarrassing 21-20 loss in the Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving. Luke led the Rebels to a 15-21 record in his three years in Oxford.

Luke’s firing was met with elation from fans and initial disapproval from the players as names like Kiffin, Mike Norvell and Billy Napier popped up as popular candidates for the job.

The 44-year-old coach made his start as an assistant at Fresno State and went to USC where he worked his way up from tight end coach to offensive coordinator in 2005. Kiffin was the head coach for the Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Volunteers and USC Trojans before working under Nick Saban in Alabama. 

Kiffin’s big name recognition is undeniable and could light a fire for a fan base with growing apathy for the program, a problem Carter cited in the decision to move on from Matt Luke.

A public introduction will take place Monday at 1 p.m. at The Pavilion at Ole Miss. The event will be open to the public.