Lane Kiffin's jump from Ole Miss to LSU has sparked plenty of outrage, and Bill Cowher thinks the backlash is deserved.
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Kiffin signed his massive LSU deal on Sunday. He reportedly wanted to stick around and guide the Rebels through the College Football Playoff, but Ole Miss shut that down. On Monday's Dan Patrick Show, Cowher was asked if he would have allowed Kiffin to finish the season in Oxford. His answer was immediate.
"You decided to go to LSU. Thank you, and goodbye," Cowher said. "Let you come here for the next month and talk about how great LSU is over Mississippi? Are you kidding me?"
Cowher called the timing of Kiffin's exit "a disgrace" and said the move runs counter to what coaching should be.
"The coaching profession is about developing young men," he said. "It's not about chasing the greener grass somewhere else. It's about trying to create tradition and pageantry for the institution you work for."
Cowher pointed to a lack of structure in college football as a major problem, saying that players are often the ones left paying the price.
"I think what happened there is a disgrace to the coaching profession...the coaching profession is about developing young men – it's not about chasing the greener grass to somewhere else."
– @CowherCBS on Lane Kiffin leaving Ole Miss for LSU. pic.twitter.com/mr4iXQpfyW
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) December 1, 2025
LSU was not going to wait for Kiffin, which forced him to choose between the job or the playoff run. He chose LSU, and hinted that one legendary coach nudged him toward taking the gig immediately.
Kiffin will always face frustration in Mississippi over how he left. Cowher made it clear he understands why.
