Lane Kiffin Has Found a Home at Ole Miss, and His Family is a Big Reason Why

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin isn't shy about the bond his family has grown to share during their time in Oxford.

Oct 28, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin (left) and his son Knox Kiffin during warm ups prior to a game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Lane Kiffin has been the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels since the 2020 season, and even though his name has been tied to other head coaching jobs around the country during that span, he has elected to stay in Oxford.

Why? Family plays a huge role in it.

Kiffin appeared on The Paul Finebaum Show on Wednesday to discuss his team's upset win over the Georgia Bulldogs last weekend, and the topic shifted to his time in Oxford and the family ties he has established in the last four-plus years. Kiffin's daughter Landry is a student at Ole Miss, and it seems that the Ole Miss coach is putting down even more roots in the near future.

"People said, 'Oh you got here and helped Ole Miss football,'" Kiffin said, "[but] I needed Oxford a lot more than it needed me. Even since then, Landry at the time came here and went to Oxford High School, moved here with me to come to Ole Miss. It's been really special, and I'm very appreciative of them bringing us here and embracing us. It's been awesome."

Kiffin's tenure at Ole Miss is the longest head coaching stop during his career, so it's understandable that his name would be linked to other jobs around the country from time to time, especially since the Rebels have become so successful under his watch. Still, it's easy to forget that football coaches are people too, and there are other factors at play when deciding what job to take and what city to live in.

Monte Kiffin, Lane's father, passed away over the summer, and the family seems to continue growing closer after the loss. Knox, Lane's son, is expected to join his father in Oxford in the coming months, and his other daughter Presley is also making big steps in her life path.

"I think that's natural sometimes in this profession," Kiffin said. "People forget that part of it because they just see the football side. But that was really special at the end of the win for [Landry] to come down and get through all those people and have that hug and say, 'Pops would be really proud of you dad.'

"It was really special to have her here for that, and Knox is moving here this summer for high school. So that's really exciting, and Presley actually had National Signing Day today and signed with USC for volleyball. Really neat family time."

It seems that Kiffin and Ole Miss have established a mutually-beneficial relationship, and that's a heartwarming story in a sport that is often heavily focused on simple wins and losses.