Lane Kiffin and his decision on where to coach college football next season is the biggest story in sports right now. Meanwhile, his commitment to sobriety continues to serve as an inspiration.
The 50-year-old’s impact goes far beyond his own friends and family, like Theo Von.
No matter what college football coaching job Kiffin ultimately picks, Oxford gave him something far more important than a national championship. It has forever changed his life and the lives of others.
Lane Kiffin has to make up his mind.
LSU and Florida both presented Kiffin with an opportunity to leave Ole Miss. He doesn’t know what to do.
There has been a constant back-and-forth over the last few weeks, in the headlines, on social media, and in his own mind.
One day he is leaving for Baton Rouge. The next he is leaving for Gainesville. And then, just a few hours later, he is going to stay in Oxford. It seems like it is going to come down to the Tigers and Rebels but there is always the chance he could pick the Gators.
All of the “insiders” who claim to know what he is going to decide are lying. Only Kiffin knows what he is going to decide and he has not yet come to a decision. So…
Clarity is expected to come this weekend after the Egg Bowl. All three programs need to move forward, with the Playoff, the early signing period and the transfer portal on the horizon. We’ll see. His decision will completely change the entire landscape of college football forever, no matter what.
Getting sober was the most important decision.
Regardless of what Lane Kiffin chooses regarding his future, nothing compares to what he chose for himself upon arrival to Ole Miss. He made the decision to quit drinking alcohol in 2021.
“Not drinking is just a part of my journey to where I am now, which is as fulfilled as I’ve been in coaching, and as important as all of that, is having peace and rhythm in my life,” Kiffin said. “I’m still not perfect, still have my moments. But there’s a freedom in not feeling like you need a drink to celebrate a big win or get over a tough loss. There’s a freedom of not having to have acceptance of what some guy writes about you or what the fans think of you or if you’re on the hot seat.”
Now, more than three years later, Kiffin’s entire family (Presley is at USC) lives with him in Oxford. His ex-wife moved to Mississippi over the summer. His son is the starting quarterback at Oxford High School.
And it’s not just alcohol that helped him to get to where he is today.
Hot yoga at 6:00 a.m. every morning is nonnegotiable. Red meat is a rare part of his diet.
“When you’re making changes to be the best version of yourself, you learn to let go of control, to let go of your ego, to let go of the things that don’t matter,” Kiffin said. “Everything I ever wanted was on the other side of letting go, which is the exact opposite of how you think because you think you can’t let go of anything. You’re not trained that way, especially in football.”
The head football coach at Ole Miss (for now) completely changed his life.
His story is well-documented. It was the best and most important decision he ever made.
Theo Von is not the only person to draw inspiration from the college football coach’s journey.
Theo Von was in Oxford to watch Ole Miss beat Florida on Nov. 15. He and the head coach have become close friends over the last few weeks and months.
Von even attended Kiffin’s son’s high school football game on that Friday night.
This unexpected visit reminded me of a post from back in October. Kiffin attended Lainey Wilson’s concert in Nashville. As did Von. The latter posted a photo to X with a very interesting caption.
I did not think much of it at first. And then I saw him in Oxford earlier this month.
If I am to connect the dots, Lane Kiffin is Theo Von’s sponsor in sobriety. I reached out to coach to try and confirm but he is a little busy. We can only go off of what has been posted, which leads me to believe their friendship goes beyond just guys being dudes. There is a deeper relationship there.
Regardless of whether Kiffin is Von’s actual sponsor or not, he serves as the unofficial sponsor for a large number of people in the same position. They draw inspiration from his journey.
Lane is my new unofficial sponsor too! The stuff he’s sharing has been inspiring and spot on. Thank you!
— David Ball (@dball18) October 3, 2025
That’s pretty cool.
Regardless of what Lane Kiffin decides for the future — LSU, Florida, Ole Miss or otherwise — the city of Oxford brought him new life. And for that, he will forever be grateful.