Jimbo Fisher calls Lane Kiffin's decisions on assistants 'selfish' and 'stupid'
The new LSU head coach has flip-flopped about letting his former Ole Miss assistants keep coaching the Rebels in the CFP.
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ACC Network analyst and former national champion coach Jimbo Fisher harshly criticized Lane Kiffin for not letting more of his assistant coaches continue to coach Ole Miss, his former team, during the College Football Playoff. The Rebels play Miami in the semifinals Thursday in the Fiesta Bowl.
Kiffin coached Ole Miss to a 11-1 record during the regular season but took the vacant LSU job on Nov. 30 and was not allowed to coach the team in the CFP. The Rebels defeated Tulane in the first round on Dec. 20, then upset Georgia in the quarterfinals in the Sugar Bowl.
Kiffin took most of his assistants to LSU but allowed them to coach Ole Miss’ games against Tulane and Georgia. But with the transfer portal window opening Jan. 2 — the day after the upset win over Georgia — Kiffin told most of his assistants to join him at LSU to begin recruiting. Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. and running backs coach Kevin Smith are the only assistants still with Ole Miss as they prepare for the game under new head coach Pete Golding.
Assistants who are not with Ole Miss for the semifinal this week include Dane Stevens (quarterbacks), George McDonald (wide receivers), Sawyer Jordan (slot receivers) and Joe Cox (tight ends).
“It’s selfish. That’s what it is. It’s stupid,” Fisher said Wednesday during an ACCN broadcast as part of the lead-up to Thursday’s semifinal game between Ole Miss and Miami.
“He wanted to coach (Ole Miss) and thought he didn’t get his way,” Fisher said. “‘Everybody get on the plane with me, or you don’t have a job.’ All right? And he makes them all go. Then he gets down there and takes a PR hit because it looks bad that you really don’t care about the kids. Then he says, ‘OK, you can go back.’”
Fisher thought the upset against Georgia changed Kiffin’s mind.
“Here’s where he screwed up,” he said. “He thought they were gonna lose to Georgia. The portal thing was all over with, and it was going to be all over with. He said, ‘I’ll look like a hero.’ Now he’s got egg on his face because the real Lane came back out. You know what I’m saying? And if those guys were allowed to coach a first game, they should be allowed to coach — because those kids are doing something that you get one time in your life to do. That team and those guys: One time. And as a coach? Listen, I know — I’ve left a job; I get that. But if you took them on and said they’re never coming back, that’s fine. You set the rules of the game. You don’t change the rules in the middle of the game. And as a coach, it’s hurting the kids, and it pisses me off.”