Lane Kiffin is the most outspoken head coach in the Southeastern Conference, if not all of college football. The 49-year-old has already lived many different lives and came to the conclusion that there is no reason not to speak his mind.
Thus, other coaches in the SEC will use him as an outlet to express their shared opinions to the greater public. It creates an interesting dynamic in the group chat(s)!
By now, the SEC football text chain is not a secret. Numerous coaches have talked about its existence. Many of them have pointed to Lane Kiffin as the most active participant.
You can probably guess the one guy who stokes the fire all the time […] He might live in Oxford
– Steve Sarkisian
Kirby Smart joked that he would get Kiffin a flip phone for Christmas with no texting allowed. That way, he would have to call somebody, which apparently he doesn’t like to do.
.@Lane_Kiffin any idea who they're talking about? 😂 pic.twitter.com/4Nv7oUmjMn
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) December 7, 2024
However, if Smart was to take Kiffin’s smartphone away from him, he would not have a sounding board.
The sixth-year head coach at Ole Miss joined Theo Vonn on his ‘This Past Weekend’ podcast while the comedian was in Oxford for a stop on his college tour. They discussed a wide variety of different topics, including the coaches group text(s). Kiffin, in slight parallel to Sarkisian’s comments at the SEC Championship, said that he feels like he keeps the group together. Especially after a game week.
One will beat the other, or they’ll say something, then they kind of get mad at each other. Then they won’t text for a week. Like, if you beat him, then he doesn’t text for a week. Or if they’re playing each other that week, they certainly aren’t going to text. And I’m like, guys…
— Lane Kiffin
Kiffin takes a different approach. He immediately cuts through the tension with a steak knife, like after the Rebels beat the Bulldogs in Oxford last season.
I just say something that night!
“Hey man, you’ll probably get us next year!”
They don’t think that’s funny. Then one of them side texts me… “hey man, you shouldn’t have said that. Kirby is pissed off.”
And I’m like, dude, it’s just a game. Relax. We’re buddies.
— Lane Kiffin
There are multiple different text chains with various coaches. Some coaches are included in one, but not the other. It sounds like Lane Kiffin is included in most of them. He is also not afraid to call the shots.
I have multiple chats. So, sometimes I’ll say something and that guy’s not in it, but this guy is in it. So I kind of make sure I know who is in the chat when I say certain things.
And every once in awhile, there is someone who does something and I’ll remove them out of the chat. It’s happened.
— Lane Kiffin
Kiffin specifically named Jimbo Fisher. I would imagine the former removed the latter after he called him a “clown” back in 2023. See ya!
To be fair, Kiffin does eventually add the removed coach back to the chat. And all of his constituents are impressed by his ability to add and remove people. They are not quite as technologically savvy.
Other coaches in the SEC also use the group text as a chance to say what they really feel with hopes that Kiffin will agree, and in turn, tweet it out. His presence on social media started as a tool for recruiting. It has since evolved into a large part of his brand. Recruits get to know him before they actually get to know him. Fans get to see behind the curtain. He gets to be a normal person.
His head coaching counterparts try to take advantage of his outspokenness.
Like Kirby Smart, because he’s politically correct. He’s got stuff he wants to put out there, but they send it to me because they know I will.
— Lane Kiffin
I would love to know just how many text threads there really are. Who is in what chats? How many of them include one coach versus how many do not? Which ones are most active?
I have many questions that will presumably go unanswered. Lane Kiffin was willing to share more insight than most but there is just no way the real secrets will be revealed.