Lane Kiffin Would Appear in EA Sports College Football For Free

If given the option, Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin would not accept payment for his likeness in EA Sports College Football.

If EA Sports really wants to be "in the game," Lane Kiffin just gave them a golden opportunity.

The company is not planning to use actual coaches in its soon-to-be-released college football video game, but if they did, Kiffin doesn't want payment for use of his likeness. In a recent story with On3, the Ole Miss Rebels head coach outlined why he thinks doing his appearance for free would benefit his program.

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“I would let them do it without any deal,” Kiffin said. “I would just let them do it. ... The kids like to play it. When they’re picking the team, you would want recruits to play with the coach.”

As is the case with so many decisions in college athletics these days, much of his mindset boils down to recruiting. Branding decisions, uniform combinations, fan experience and more are all done with potential prospects in mind, and for Kiffin, an appearance in this game would be no different.

“My brain thinks about ‘What would help in recruiting?’" Kiffin said. "If you did pay me for that, I wouldn’t want it. I’d want you to put it into our NIL.”

It's that kind of forward thinking that has helped Ole Miss gain a leg up in the new world of college football, one dominated by the transfer portal and name, image, likeness.

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It's also fun. Just imagine quarterback Jaxson Dart connecting with wideout Tre Harris for a score, and the instant replay shows Ole Miss' coach doing his signature fist pump or jumping in celebration. Moments like these help make college football what it is, and maybe in the future, EA Sports will include these details in its gaming franchise.