LSU Coach Lane Kiffin Criticizes Ole Miss Recruiting Over Racial Diversity Concerns

LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin drew attention with pointed criticisms of Ole Miss, his former school, in recent interviews.

Kiffin claimed Ole Miss struggles to attract recruits because of concerns over racial diversity on campus and in Oxford, Mississippi. "Hey, coach, we really like you. But my grandparents aren’t letting me move to Oxford, Mississippi. That doesn’t come up when you say Baton Rouge, Louisiana," Kiffin told Vanity Fair. "Parents were sitting here this weekend saying the campus’s diversity feels so great: 'It feels like there’s no segregation. And we want that for our kid because that’s the real world.'"

Social media reactions dismissed Kiffin's comments. ESPN's Paul Finebaum joined the criticism on his show. "An SEC coach at LSU is breaking big news in Vanity Fair," Finebaum said. "Has to be shaking up Fifth Avenue right now. But it's Lane Kiffin."

Finebaum said the remarks were no slip. He spoke with Vanity Fair writer Curt Smith, who did not ask about racism; Kiffin brought it up unprompted. "This is Kiffin trying to wipe Ole Miss off the face of the Earth, he’s still very bitter at them, even though they're the jilted lover," Finebaum added. "He's bitter at them because they wouldn’t let him coach in the playoffs. And he has to recruit against them, he has to coach against them on September 19th, a game that will get a little bit of attention."

Finebaum also addressed Texas coach Steve Sarkisian's suggestion that Ole Miss benefits from weaker academics. "The Sarkisian thing is even more amazing. The fact that any coach is whining and complaining about anything ... Steve Sarkisian makes about $12 million a year, and not one person on his roster is going to the University of Texas for their curriculum. They're going for the money."

Kiffin addressed his Ole Miss exit in another interview with On3.com's Wilson Alexander. "Obviously, I wish the timing was different. There was no way around it," he said. "Tried to do everything possible to still coach and, obviously, that was [athletic director Keith Carter's] decision and understandable. Do I still wish that had happened? Yeah, I do. I wish that would have been allowed to happen. Maybe we would have won it all."

Kiffin left Ole Miss for LSU knowing he could not coach in the playoffs. He believed Ole Miss had a shot at a national title.