Despite all the off-the-field chatter of the possibility of Head Coach Lane Kiffin leaving Ole Miss for another job, Saturday night under the lights at Vaught Hemingway was one of the greatest environments the stadium has ever seen. Vaught-Hemingway was rocking, the students were early, and the extracurricular activities, such as the drone shows and fireworks, added the cherry on top of the cake for Ole Miss on Saturday night as the Rebels all but secured their place in the College Football Playoff with a 34-24 win over the Florida Gators. 

However, despite the memorable environment and the well-deserved praise for the 2025 Ole Miss football team, attention shifted from celebration to figuring out what’s next for Coach Lane Kiffin, as rumors about his next coaching decision quickly overshadowed the team’s comeback on the field. So much so, according to multiple reports on Monday, that the Ole Miss athletic staff gave Coach Kiffin an ultimatum that he had until the Egg Bowl next Friday to decide on his future with Ole Miss. According to those same reports, LSU had flown the entire Kiffin family for a visit on Monday, while Florida did the same on Sunday, speeding up the decision-making for Ole Miss and Coach Kiffin. As of Saturday night, following the win over the Gators, nobody in Rebel Nation had even the slightest hint of what Coach Kiffin would decide or even if Saturday night would be his last game as Head Coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. 

Before we discuss the action on the field, the reality that Ole Miss faces with Coach Kiffin is a harsh one that Ole Miss folks are having to come to terms with. He might not, and would take the extension, but with Coach Kiffin sending his family to tour Baton Rouge and Gainesville, the harsh truth is that unless he decides to stay in Oxford and finish what he started, Ole Miss could be heading into next Friday’s Egg Bowl without a Head Coach needing a win to earn a bid to the College Football Playoff. 

As far as the action on the field on Saturday night, the players fed off the energy of the crowd inside Vaught Hemingway. In my eight years of covering Ole Miss games and even longer making the trip to Oxford, there has never been a better environment than what Ole Miss delivered on Saturday night. That place was rocking, and the players fed off that energy to deliver a perfect home record this season. 

Second, this one can go without saying, but Ole Miss fans need to take in the next few games with Kewan Lacy because players like him don’t come around often, and when they do, they’re often underappreciated until after the fact. Lacy broke a few more school records on Saturday night while rushing for 224 yards, with three touchdowns to go with. Lacy is a special player. As the season winds down and the focus shifts to the postseason, Ole Miss fans take a moment and appreciate what they have in that young man. 

Lastly, regardless of whether Lane Kiffin leaves or decides to stay, Ole Miss will be fine. What I witnessed on Saturday night was a moment that will forever stay etched into the history books of Ole Miss football for generations to come. Fans have done everything they can do to change the program, and a coach won’t change that, Ole Miss football as a whole has never been in a better postion to take the next step than they are right now, largely in part to the fans, the boosters, and the adminitratin at Ole Miss for going all in on not only the football program, but the athletic department as a whole. They have a man in charge, Keith Carter, who understands what it means to be an Ole Miss Rebel and will do whatever he can to keep this mometum going into the postseason for the Rebels. 

Don’t let the actions of one person ruin all the memories that have been made this season. There’s still a lot of football to be played if you’re Ole Miss. Enjoy the moment and trust the process, because the right now is what the generation before dreamed of when they thought of Rebel football. 

Photo Credits – Ole Miss Football on X