David Pollack: Lane Kiffin saga ended ‘the only way it was supposed to end’ based on past

David Pollack didn’t sound even a little surprised when Lane Kiffin walked away from Ole Miss during their College Football Playoff run. On the latest See Ball Get Ball podcast, Pollack said the messy ending was the only way this saga could have wrapped up based on Kiffin’s history.

After weeks of rumors, public back-and-forth and what Pollack called “Lane fatigue,” he believes the story closed exactly how Kiffin stories tend to: “It ended the way Lane ends most stops,” Pollack stated. 

“We have a track record. The Tarmac (USC), Knoxville after one season, the Raiders after 20 months, and now leaving Ole Miss in the middle of a playoff run.” According to Pollack, Kiffin’s past exits weren’t just context, they were predictors. This was a pattern repeating itself.

Even so, Pollack said Kiffin’s tenure in Oxford was transformative, personally and professionally. He pointed to Kiffin saying this was “the most impressionable and best part” of his life and agreed. 

Ole Miss elevated him and helped him flourish. But the relationship still ended in heartbreak, as scenes of fans booing Kiffin at the airport underscored how sour the final moments became.

Where Pollack’s frustration really ignited was with the people left behind:  “The players lose the most,” he said. Ole Miss won 11 games, built real championship dreams and sit on the doorstep of the CFP, and suddenly lost the coach, infrastructure and much of the staff that helped make it possible. 

As told, Kiffin isn’t leaving alone. Pollack listed the critical pieces joining him at LSU like offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., general manager Billy Glasscock, the team’s strength staff and other support personnel: “We’ve seen this movie,” Pollack added. “Lane’s leaving, and he’s taking the operation with him.”

The aftermath now falls on Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding, newly elevated to head coach. Pollack emphasized that Golding inherits not just a roster, but a stunned locker room navigating the loss of the architect of its best season in school history: “They’ve got to pick up the pieces and move into the playoff,” Pollack said. “They get to limp in.”

Pollack made it clear he doesn’t begrudge Kiffin the freedom to choose his next step, but he didn’t sugarcoat the fallout either: “I hate the way it ended,” he said. “Nobody liked seeing it. Nobody wanted to see it.”

With the Lane Train now officially rolling to Baton Rouge, Pollack believes the messy result was always inevitable. Only time will tell what comes next with the Tigers.