Joel Klatt calls Lane Kiffin 'selfish' for leaving Ole Miss during College Football Playoff run

Joel Klatt unloaded one of his strongest critiques yet on Lane Kiffin’s move from Ole Miss to LSU. The FOX Sports analyst called the decision “selfish” and warned it could damage Kiffin’s credibility with players at his new job. 

Speaking on the latest episode of The Joel Klatt Show, the FOX analyst said the timing in leaving a Playoff-bound team in late November is what makes the move so problematic, even if Kiffin has every right to pursue another opportunity.

Klatt argued that Kiffin’s rise atop the coaching carousel wasn’t because he was the best overall candidate in the sport, but because he was the best candidate available: “Lane has held his hand up and said, ‘I’m available,’ while everybody else took their hand down,” Klatt said, pointing to coaches like Dan Lanning, Mike Elko and Steve Sarkisian who all shut down interest.

That vacuum elevated Kiffin’s name, but it didn’t change his résumé: “He’s still a coach that has not won a conference championship in the power conferences,” the former Colorado star added. “… Now, he’s got five of the messiest exits in the history of football.”

While Klatt acknowledged Kiffin’s right to leave for personal or professional reasons, he didn’t mince words about what the move means: “It doesn’t make this decision any less selfish,” Klatt explained. “It just is in its nature. He’s leaving a team in the middle of a playoff run. That’s a tough look.” 

Klatt also dismissed the common coach refrain that “players can leave too,” saying star quarterbacks don’t walk away days before the postseason begins. It’s evident that he believes Kiffin shouldn’t have either.

Moreover, Klatt warned that Kiffin could face a significant trust problem inside LSU’s locker room as well: “How do you get players to buy in if you’re going to leave a team in the lurch like he’s doing to Ole Miss?” Klatt said, adding that opposing coaches will weaponize that message in recruiting. The pitch, he said, will be simple as why would you commit to a coach who won’t commit to you?

Additionally, Klatt blasted the larger structure of the sport, calling the coaching carousel, early signing period, and transfer-portal timeline a “car wreck” that forces programs and coaches into frantic November decisions. Still, he emphasized that Kiffin and Ole Miss both bear consequences. 

The Rebels lost their play-caller ahead of their biggest opportunity in modern program history, while Kiffin inherited credibility questions and a fractured staff, with only some of the offensive side reportedly following him to LSU.

Despite his criticism, Klatt made sure to point out that he likes Kiffin personally, and he believes he’s good for college football. But that doesn’t change his stance. 

Leaving now, he said, is the definition of self-serving: “Lane’s trying to look out for the future of Lane,” Klatt concluded. “That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t make it any less selfish. And the players are the ones who get left behind.”