The trip is the latest chapter in a career defined by drama. Kiffin was terminated with cause by the NFL’s Raiders, bolted from Tennessee after one season, was fired by USC at the airport in the middle of the night and was booted by Nick Saban before Alabama’s national title game.
Kiffin spent the previous six seasons at Ole Miss, then left for a rival school before the playoff and attempted to steal the core of the best Rebels team in 60 years. His return comes five years after fans in Knoxville hurled a golf ball, water bottles and other items at him. He is prepared for what will happen in Oxford on Saturday.
His high-priced roster with sky-high expectations may not be. The players will arrive to find an increased police presence, the most hostile 64,000 fans imaginable and a top-10 opponent. Ole Miss has won 13 straight home games, the third-longest active streak in the nation.
The Rebels are led by head coach Pete Golding, who spent the past three years as Kiffin’s defensive coordinator. They also have perhaps the best quarterback in the nation in Trinidad Chambliss, whom Kiffin elevated from Division II but could not convince to join him in Baton Rouge. Kiffin settled for Sam Leavitt, who has four interceptions in his first two games with the Tigers.
By leaving for a higher ceiling, Kiffin made it easier to get knocked to the ground. Ole Miss (+3) may go decades before playing another game that matters more.