Lane Kiffin Dragged in Another Ole Miss Controversy Following Transfer Portal Closing

Lane Kiffin is turning the LSU-Ole Miss rivalry into his personal warfare. After pulling his LSU-bound coaches from Oxford days before the Miami game, he made another move by hunting Ole Miss players from the transfer portal, which is now just fueling the chaos between the two teams.

“We all know about the messy breakup between Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin and how Lane wanted to stay and coach through the playoffs, but the school said no,” content creator Evan Hand said on X. “However, Ole Miss was letting some coaches who were following Lane to LSU stay at Ole Miss and coach through the playoffs, like Kevin Smith here.

This was seen as a nice gesture to help the team stay normal throughout the college football playoff. But now, according to a report by ON3, these coaches were actually sleeper agents for Lane Kiffin.”

He took the entire offensive staff with him. But whoever was left, like OC Charlie Weis Jr. or RB coach Kevin Smith, were his sleeper cells to poach players from the Rebels to LSU, a move no one saw coming.

Lane Kiffin has already secured 29 players from the portal and has gotten four-star wide receiver Winston Watkins from Ole Miss. He is eyeing their edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen, who entered the portal despite re-signing with the Rebels.

Then he is pushing to get offensive lineman Devin Harper, who recommitted to Ole Miss but also took a visit to LSU. Kiffin isn’t just targeting individuals. He is attempting to dismantle Ole Miss’s defensive front, making a run at edge rushers Princewill Umanmielen and Jordan Renaud, as well as linebacker Luke Ferrelli.

Dottery is yet to sign with any of the teams, but things turned weird when Lane Kiffin leaked his NIL contract details, creating tension among the players. As On3’s Ben Garrett made his intentions pretty clear.

“Things shifted this week, and only after Kiffin leaked contract details through agents connected to Ole Miss transfer signees,” Garrett said. “Now, through Dottery and others, Kiffin is making a run at Harper and Umanmielen.”

Running back Kewan Lacy was also on the list, but Kiffin missed out on him. He is now reportedly using Dottery to help recruit the other targets.

Ole Miss sources see this as the main reason behind their falling out. As one source told Garrett, it’s breaking their locker room.

“[Kiffin is] trying to destroy our locker room.” Ole Miss source said Garrett. “He’s fighting dirty. And he’s banking on no one stopping him.”

But Kiffin’s portal moves are not stopping anytime soon.

Lane Kiffin’s major portal win

Lane Kiffin is not just eyeing his former team players but also putting his best foot forward to keep theNo. 1 transfer portal class intact. His latest move? Adding Ohio State’s safety player Faheem Delane to the team after he visited Baton Rouge on Thursday, as per On3.

Delane signed with Ohio State in 2025. But now he is following his older brother, former LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane, who projects as a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Another brother duo is ready to make an impact on the field, just like Zachariah and Zion Branch.

Delane’s high school tape, which includes 97 tackles and 18 pass breakups, showcases the elite potential Kiffin is adding to his secondary.

Delane’s move to LSU made the most sense, as the Tigers have a long history of developing talented defensive players like Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu. Let’s wait and see how Delane shapes up under Lane Kiffin and DC Blake Baker’s guidance.

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