Lane Kiffin clarifies controversial signing day comment

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin is no stranger to headlines but brought controversial attention to himself on National Signing Day with a comment many believed to be a shot at Jackson State’s Deion Sanders and the surprise signing of five-star athlete Travis Hunter.

However, in an interview with Peacock’s Rich Eisen, Lane Kiffin disputed the subject of his statement and attempted to provide some clarity on his feelings.

“No, I actually wasn’t at all,” told Eisen. “People think I was, I wasn’t. I was talking about some other schools we recruit against, and I won’t name them.”

As he continued discussing the issue, Eisen offered him an outlet on the problem without naming any names.

“It had nothing to do with that,” repeated Kiffin. “I’m just tired of the stories you hear where a school or two – I don’t know very well – says to the kid, ‘you will get this when you get here’ and then the kids, the coaches, the parents, they’re in the portal a year later because they didn’t get anything.”

Lane Kiffin’s controversial comments

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin spoke about the “free agency” effect with NIL on National Signing Day, seemingly upset by some of the moves he saw that day and over the past year. The number of coaching changes, flipped commitments and transfer portal entries have all contributed to one of the most chaotic periods as NIL takes the stage in its first full recruiting cycle.

“You’re in free agency that, there are no contracts,” Kiffin said, via Michael Katz of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. “I really hope for these kids, they get all the money that they’re being promised at all these schools when they get there.

“Because there’s a lot of money being promised, so I hope for them that they get it. … These guys get promised all this money to come places, but they don’t have a contract, which in free agency obviously you would [like] in the NFL, know that you were guaranteed to get paid what you’re being told you’re going to get paid.”

Kiffin’s comments came after Hunter was rumored to sign a $1.5 million deal with Barstool Sports. However, Front Office Sports reported Wednesday night that rumor was false. With all the talk that day about NIL and Hunter’s commitment, the connection between the two was made based on Kiffin’s comments coming down on certain schools which remain nameless.