Lane Kiffin recalls calling cop for escort to airport, reacts to Ole Miss fans booing takeoff

Even though Lane Kiffin made the choice to leave Ole Miss, he still had a hard time dealing with the reaction from some fans. That included on his way out of Oxford on Sunday evening when multiple Rebels supporters met him at the airport to boo him as he boarded a place to Baton Rouge to become the next LSU coach.

Kiffin revealed in his introductory press conference with the Tigers on Monday that he also saw multiple angry fans on his way to the airport with his son. So much so that he had to call in a police escort just to get there safely to make his flight.

As he stood in front of a purple and gold backdrop, Kiffin recounted wondering whether he had made the right decision as he stepped onto the flight. But once he landed in Baton Rouge, he said it didn’t take long to see that he made the right choice.

“I’m human. Even though you understand it’s the passion, you’re with your son and you’re driving and you’ve got to call a cop that you know so they’ll help you because you personally know them, because you are leaving the state,” the coach said. “You got to call them because you’re driving with your son and you’ve got to turn around. People are like screaming at you trying to run you off the road. I don’t know what they’re gonna do. So that affects you. That airport scene, all the things being said, I understand it. It’s the passion. But they’re saying that about you. You thought you did a really good job for six years for them. That affects you.

“Even on the plane down here, you’re kind of like ‘Man, we made this decision, but God I really —’ you know? We landed last night and when I saw the board there and I saw the leadership and I felt the power of this place. Then we get out of the car and there’s the fans, just all of them out there at the airport. Then the cars drive by as you’re going to the office and you drive by Tiger Stadium and it’s lit up and you’re like, ‘I absolutely made the right decision.’ And it all went away.”

Despite leading Ole Miss to a likely spot in the College Football Playoff, Lane Kiffin won’t get the chance to coach the Rebels in the postseason. That decision was made for him by athletic director Keith Carter.

It’s certainly been a contentious exit, to say the least, and Kiffin wishes the Rebels find success without him. But now that the choice has been made, he’s ready to start building his new home at LSU.