Stephen Lew-Imagn Images/USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
LSU head coach Lane Kiffin and Louisiana governor Jeff Landry
On Saturday, Lane Kiffin and LSU will head to Ole Miss for what is poised to be the biggest grudge match of the college football season. The head coach will have a target on his back in Oxford, and the governor of Louisiana has gotten involved to make sure he stays safe when he faces off against his former school.
At this point, I assume every college football fan is familiar with the series of events that led to Lane Kiffin leaving his job as the head coach of Ole Miss and stepping into the same role at LSU.
If you somehow managed to miss that saga, Kiffin accepted the gig as the Rebels were gearing up for a College Football Playoff run, and LSU refused to let him finish the season to prevent him from using his remaining time in Oxford to persuade coaches and players to join him in Baton Rouge.
There was subsequently a massive circle around the 2026 edition of the Magnolia Bowl when the schedule was announced, and the historic rivalry will be firmly reignited when Kiffin and Co. head to Ole Miss for a showdown on Saturday night.
Officials have spent months firming up the security protocols for that contest, and there are enough concerns about the safety of the visiting team to the point where the man elected to Louisiana’s highest office has gotten involved.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry joked about deploying the National Guard while addressing security measures for Lane Kiffin’s return to Ole Miss
College football has an uncanny ability to make fans resort to some unhinged behavior in the name of their teams, and it’s easy to understand why LSU is wary about the reception it’s going to get when Kiffin enters Vaught–Hemingway Stadium for the first time since his departure.
According to ESPN, Jeff Landry, who has served as the governor of Louisiana since 2024, has gone out of his way to make sure the team stays safe after entering enemy territory. He cracked a joke about sending Kiffin “on an F-16 and maybe the team on a C-130” while quipping the National Guard might be needed before confirming he was involved in the planning, saying:
“I know that we’ve been talking with Mississippi and making sure that we have adequate security for the team and coach.
But I’m hoping that we can go there and play in complete Southern hospitality and have a great, great game.”
Kiffin acknowledged there could be issues at a press conference where he said he’s tried to put his players at ease and get them to focus on the game by positioning himself as the primary target for the ire of the Ole Miss faithful.
According to Front Office Sports, the Oxford Police Department has declared an “all hands on deck” situation ahead of Saturday night, as the approximately 150-member police force will be assisted by cops from Mobile, Alabama and mounted horse units from New Orleans.
Here’s to hoping cooler heads prevail.