Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin shared an unbelievable story about being warned to wear a bulletproof vest when he returned to Tennessee in 2021.
After a forgettable stint as head coach of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders (2007 to 2008), Kiffin was hired as the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers. Despite a 7-6 season and Chick-fil-A Bowl appearance, Kiffin stunned everybody when he left the school after one year to take the USC Trojans’ HC job.
Tennessee students were so angry about Kiffin’s abrupt exit that riots broke out on the university campus. Police were called in and broke up the chaos before it spiraled out of control any further.
Kiffin lasted four seasons at USC before landing with Florida Atlantic in 2017, where he’d spend the next three years. The Rebels hired Kiffin for their HC vacancy in 2020, where he’s compiled a superb 44-18 record over five seasons.
11 years after his stunning departure, Kiffin returned to Tennessee when his Rebels visited the Volunteers on Oct. 16, 2021. In an appearance on “This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von”, Lane Kiffin recalled that he was given a suggestion to wear a bulletproof vest for his safety:
“Neyland Stadium in Tennessee is amazing. It’s just, like, when we would bring recruits there, it is majestic. And then at night, and there’s the river and the boats. And then the intensity in there. I was the head coach here at Ole Miss and we went and played at Tennessee and it was on from warm ups. Everyone was there, 100,000 people. And there was this hatred toward me. I felt like the gladiator in a movie, like they’re getting ready for a thumbs down.”
“They had a real conversation with me during the week about a bulletproof vest. Like, there’s no way guys, come on. It’s football. They had, like, three cops with me. They aren’t going to really do that. Maybe a golf ball they’ll throw at me, or a bottle. So I was walking in and I was like, ‘this is awesome’…they were chanting, ‘f**k Lane Kiffin’. And that actually felt kind of intense and cool, 100,000 people chanting that.”
Lane Kiffin talks about Tennessee and Neyland Stadium with Theo: pic.twitter.com/lu1Su0DNKi
— Old Row Sports (@OldRowSports) April 16, 2025
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NCAA stories via Google! Follow Us
Kiffin got the last laugh on that October evening, with the Rebels squeaking out a tight 31-26 victory. Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral led the way with 231 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and a game-high 195 rushing yards on 30 carries.
As a college football head coach, Lane Kiffin is 106-52-0, good for a .671 winning percentage. That includes a 5-4 record in bowl games.
Lane Kiffin & Rebels Open 2025 Season vs. Georgia State
Kiffin and the Rebels will look to kick off the 2025 NCAA football season on a high note when they host the Georgia State Panthers on Aug. 30 at Vaught–Hemingway Stadium. A week later they’ll take on the Kentucky Wildcats in their first road game of the season.
