Kirk Herbstreit reacts to Ole Miss, Keith Carter refusing to allow Lane Kiffin to coach through CFP

Ole Miss made the decision not to let Lane Kiffin, following his own decision to leave for LSU, coach in their upcoming appearance in the College Football Playoff. It’s a reasonable stance, but ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit wishes it didn’t have to be the case for the Rebels.

Herbstreit noted that during their episode of ‘Nonstop’ on Monday. He doesn’t blame Ole Miss AD Keith Carter for coming to that conclusion on Kiffin, yet he just hates those circumstances for the Rebels who have a chance to be in national title contention come kickoff in the CFP.

“Man, I would have just loved to have seen them finish all together, and then see it go in a different direction,” said Herbstreit. “I understand the stance by Ole Miss’ AD – hey, if you’re not with us, you’re against us. If you’re going to LSU, go now. I get that. I just with this Ole Miss team, that right now is playing great football? You saw them in the Egg Bowl with all this noise. That’s a tough place to play and they went in there and dominated the game. So, wish them all the best, but that set off a crazy day yesterday.”

Prior to his decision to leave the Rebels for the Tigers, Herbstreit was among those who said that Kiffin should be allowed to continue coaching them through the College Football Playoff, saying on ‘College GameDay’ the morning after the Egg Bowl that everyone “need(ed) to set (their) emotions to the side” in order to “look at this team with their coach, and give them a chance to finish this run” in Oxford. He then used this time to address and deny some of the criticism he has since received because of that, with there being accusations of some bias within that opinion.

“I know Lane, like I know every coach. And Lane would’ve loved to stay on and coach, and I think he was sending that message out to a lot of people that I hope to have a chance to continue to coach these guys,” said Herbstreit. “But, no agenda. No Jimmy Sexton, whatever. I have no idea where that would come from.”

It likely won’t be the same with Kiffin not on the sideline, with the headset on this postseason for the Rebels. Still, that was his choice, and, as such, Ole Miss’ choice will instead be Pete Golding as for who’ll coach them from wherever they’re seeded in the College Football Playoff.