The Tennessee Volunteers will play host to former head coach Lane Kiffin on Nov. 21.
Kiffin will be coming in as head coach of the LSU Tigers.
Tennessee knows a thing or two about what it feels like to be on the wrong end of a Kiffin coaching transaction. That doesn’t mean there will be any less heat the next time the Vols square up with the Ole Miss Rebels on the gridiron.
The two spurned programs could form a support group, though.
Kiffin was the head coach at Rocky Top for just one season before he skipped town with little to no warning and took his “dream job” with the USC Trojans just weeks before National Signing Day (which used to be a big deal). Just this past season, Kiffin spurned Ole Miss and left for the head-coaching job at LSU just weeks before the College Football Playoff. He had led Ole Miss to an 11-1 record before abandoning the Rebels.
It’s a familiar story when it comes to Kiffin, and current Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel had fun fanning those old flames of passion (and some would say hatred) at SEC Media Days on Monday.
“I certainly hope our fan base hasn’t cooled off,” Heupel said when asked about Kiffin’s return to Knoxville on November 21 (h/t On3). “So you know, whether it’s the grocery stores being fully stocked with mustard or you know our sports stores making sure that they got reinforcements on the golf balls, hopefully, Knoxville’s ready for his arrival.”
