Family, Football, and a New Lane: Kiffin shows his Oxford roots are real at Meet the Rebels
Lane Kiffin had time for the Oxford community Saturday at ‘Meet the Rebels.’
The fan-favorite meet-and-greet returned after a six-year hiatus as the replacement for Ole Miss football’s typical end-of-spring scrimmage. The Rebels have been practicing for four weeks.
Players and coaches signed autographs and took pictures. A few participated in a question-and-answer session with David Kellum, the voice of the Rebels. Kiffin was asked by a fan in the crowd about what’s kept him at Ole Miss.
He’s entering his sixth season as head coach — likely a surprising outcome for some for the previously-nomadic Kiffin.
“This has been a big change for me coming here,” Kiffin said. “Now two kids — one moving here, one already moved here. One in high school, one in college. I got to see Oxford through a different lens, ‘cause I was initially here just as the head coach. Then I got to see it as a parent, and I got to see the value of the people here and how they would treat people in the community. That really helped me change a lot, too. I would say I always kind of moved fast. Lived in L.A., lived in South Florida. Come here, it’s a lot slower, and that was really good for me. It’s been an awesome time.”
Kiffin has laid down roots in Oxford.
His daughter, Landry, is attending Ole Miss, while his son, Knox, is enrolled at Oxford High School. He’s reconnected with his ex-wife, Layla. His father, Monte, was a regular at the Manning Center and on the practice fields prior to his death in July of 2024. His younger brother, Chris, is in his third turn as an Ole Miss assistant.
Kiffin has won at unprecedented levels at Ole Miss. The Rebels last season won 10 games for the third time in four years. Ole Miss is one of just six programs in college football to sign Top 25 high school classes and Top 25 transfer classes in each of the last three years.
The Rebels will look significantly different next season. They lost 72 percent of their starting 22, including three-year, record-setting quarterback Jaxson Dart, replaced by promising youngster Austin Simmons.
“I think it’s an exciting time,” Kiffin said, when asked by Kellum his message to Ole Miss fans. “I know we all wished things would’ve went different last year, but at the same time, too, I’m excited those expectations have gone up so high that we win 10 games and fans are like, ‘Man, we should have won more.’ That’s pretty cool.
“Somebody said the other day in the last 55 years there’s been four Top 12 finishes. In the last four years we’ve seen three of them. That puts into perspective what these players have done the last four years. It’s really cool. The seniors (at Ole Miss) that are just graduating have seen a national championship in baseball, the Sweet 16 and three Top 12 finishes. It’s an exciting time. Appreciate it, value it. It’s cool to be in these conversations.”
The included photos from ‘Meet the Rebels’ were provided by Ole Miss Athletics.
LB TJ Dottery
WR Dillon Alfred
TE Dae’Quan Wright
Lane Kiffin
Juice Kiffin
OL Devin Harper
Juice Kiffin
WR Cayden Lee
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