Skip to main content
Ole Miss

Ole Miss football head coach Lane Kiffin to turn on Oxford's holiday lights

11by: Jake Thompson11/09/21JakeThompsonOn3
FCVFOcDVEAAptWB
Lane Kiffin

With ESPN’s College GameDay and No. 11 Texas A&M coming to Oxford this weekend, the city is getting into the holiday spirit early with the help of Lane Kiffin.

The Ole Miss head football coach will be helping turn on Oxford’s downtown holiday lights on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at City Hall.

Known as the Canopy of Lights, Oxford drapes the Downtown Square in lights and other holiday decorations throughout the month of November through the new year.

Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill announced the city will be turning the lights on early this year — originally planned to turn them on next week — to welcome ESPN’s College GameDay.

“We are always excited to light up our beautiful snow globe town during the holidays BUT this year is even more exciting,” Tannehill said in an exclusive statement to the Spirit.

“With ESPN College GameDay in town, we want to show the nation why ESPN named Oxford the Best College Town in America. Lane Kiffin will do us the honor of flipping the switch.”

On Saturday night it was announced that ESPN would be bringing its flagship college football show back to Oxford for only the second time in the show’s history. Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso brought the show to The Grove in 2014 for the Alabama game. Ole Miss beat then No.1-ranked Alabama later that day.

On Monday, Kiffin spoke about the importance of this weekend’s game and College GameDay returning.

“We’re excited this week for our program to be in a position where we’re playing in a top-15 matchup with College GameDay coming into town,” Kiffin said during his weekly press conference on Monday. ‘

“I think that reflects a lot on what these players have done throughout season to be at that point this late in the year for GameDay to be coming here.”

ESPN’s College GameDay will air from The Grove on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. CT. No. 11 Texas A&M (7-2, 4-2 SEC) and No. 12 Ole Miss (7-2, 3-2) will kick off at 6 p.m. on ESPN. Fowler and Herbstreit will call the game.

You may also like