Lane Kiffin might have missed on a few things, but the Ole Miss Rebels’ head coach continues to stay undefeated in the offseason entertainment department. Whether it’s his relentless Twitter antics, cryptic comments during press conferences, or his unapologetic love for stirring the SEC pot, Kiffin has mastered the art of staying relevant—even when the results on the field leave room for improvement. Coming off a 10-3 (5-3 in SEC) season, capped by a Gator Bowl win over Duke, one might expect Kiffin to shift focus solely to next season. Instead, he once again took a jab only this time at his conference rivals from Columbia.

This offseason Lane Kiffin has enjoyed some fun times like duck hunting that he shared on social media earlier. But duck hunting turned into Tiger hunting real quick. The latest episode in Kiffin’s soap opera unfolded on Instagram, where he decided to lob a subtle, yet unmistakable, jab at the Missouri Tigers. It wasn’t a fiery rant or a direct shot, but a photo that spoke volumes in SEC circles. Kiffin shared an image of his nephew, Chris Kiffin’s son Christian, standing next to a Mizzou mannequin at Faurot Field. Clad in a hoodie that read, “We run the Sip.”

While the post seemed innocent enough, the question is do they really though? Earlier in the day, Missouri’s basketball team had bested Ole Miss in a close matchup, adding another chapter to a budding rivalry between the two schools. Kiffin, never one to let an opportunity pass, found a way to remind Mizzou that, despite their basketball triumph, the Rebels still hold a claim over Mississippi—and maybe, just maybe, over the Tigers as well. Speaking of Mizzou, both rivals ended the 2024 season with a Bowl win. Mizzou won 27-24 over Iowa in the Music City Bowl.

Of course, the bravado is part of the package when it comes to Kiffin, but it’s hard to ignore the sting of what could have been for Ole Miss this season. A 10-3 record and a solid 5-3 mark in SEC play might satisfy most programs, but Kiffin has raised the bar in Oxford. But because they didn’t care where they were in rankings as long as they qualified for playoffs, a feat that’s eluded the program despite a consistent upward trajectory under Kiffin’s watch. Instead, they fell short, landing outside the top 12, leaving fans with mixed emotions about a season that had promised so much more.

Still, it’s not all jabs and jokes for Kiffin this offseason. The Rebels head coach has been relentless on the recruiting trail, securing a major victory by landing Caleb Cunningham, the top-ranked 2025 recruit out of Mississippi and a five-star wide receiver. Cunningham’s commitment with 12 others underscores Kiffin’s ability to attract top talent, even amid a season that didn’t fully meet expectations. It’s moves like these that keep Ole Miss in the conversation year after year, and while fans might be frustrated by the program’s inability to crash the playoff party, Kiffin’s recruiting prowess ensures they’ll remain a thorn in the side of SEC powerhouses like Alabama and Georgia.

As much a showman as he is a football coach, it’s precisely what makes him one of the most polarizing figures in college football. Love him or hate him, you can’t ignore him. Whether he’s duck hunting or Tigers hunting, Kiffin knows how to keep the SEC on its toes.

Lane Kiffin accusing Saban of sliding into DM’s is crazy

At least for a few seasons, the CFB world will not forget his “Way to keep us on the edge of our seats Committee …. Riveting,” complaint to the SEC when Indiana and SMU made it to the playoffs ahead of him. Lane Kiffin took it a bit too far after he couldn’t resist chiming in on the spicy social media saga involving Sydney Thomas and a mystery SEC football coach. Thomas recently revealed that a college coach slid into her DMs with a “Roll Tide.” While she wouldn’t spill the tea on who sent the message, she did confirm the coach works in the SEC—though not for Alabama. Whether it’s a head coach or an assistant remains anyone’s guess.

For a while, Kiffin kept quiet about the chatter, but in true Lane fashion, he finally broke his silence with a tongue-in-cheek twist. After a photo surfaced of Sydney Thomas posing with Nick Saban at Travis Scott’s charity golf tournament, Kiffin jumped on Twitter, hilariously blaming his old mentor. “We have the answer. RTR @AlabamaFTBL,” he quipped, implying Saban might be the culprit (all in good fun, of course).

Kiffin’s comment neither confirmed nor denied his own involvement—classic misdirection from the Ole Miss head coach.