Ole Miss Head Coach Lane Kiffin To Miss Season Opener After Positive COVID-19 Diagnosis

Ole Miss will be without head coach Lane Kiffin for its season opener on Monday, after he was diagnosed with COVID-19.

Matt Galatzan | Sep 4, 2021

The Ole Miss Rebels head to Atlanta on Monday, where they are set to face the Louisville Cardinals in their season opener at Mercedes Benz Stadium.

Unfortunately, they will have to do so without their second-year head coach, Lane Kiffin, after he tested positive for COVID-19.

Kiffin took to Twitter to announce the news, confirming the positive test results.

“I am disappointed to confirm that I have developed a breakthrough case of COVID and will not accompany our team to Atlanta," Kiffin said in his Twitter announcement. "I am grateful to be vaccinated and experiencing only mild symptoms. So much so, I debated over being tested, but I’m relieved that I did. I’m proud of our program’s commitment to vaccination, and as a result, there are currently no other cases to report or team members expected to miss the game. We will continue to monitor our team closely and take responsible measures if any symptoms arise.”

Kiffin was the first FBS coach to get his team to a 100-percent vaccination rate. That number included all coaches and staff members.

Fortunately for the Rebels, no other players or members of the coaching staff tested positive for the virus, and they will otherwise be at full strength.

Per the announcement, Kiffin is only experiencing mild symptoms, to the point where he debated being tested.

With Kiffin sidelined, it stands to reason that offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby will call the plays on the offensive side of the ball.

However, it has yet to be revealed who will take Kiffin's place as the interim head coach.

CONTINUE READING: Ole Miss Reveals Depth Chart Heading Into Season Opener vs. Louisville

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Published Sep 4, 2021

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan the Editor-In-Chief of TheGroveReport.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels.