E575 Lane Kiffin

Summary

Podcast Summary: "This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von" – Episode E575 featuring Lane Kiffin

Release Date: April 16, 2025

In Episode E575 of "This Past Weekend with Theo Von," host Theo Von engages in an in-depth conversation with Lane Kiffin, the head coach of Ole Miss football. The episode delves into Kiffin's coaching philosophies, personal growth, experiences within the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and the evolving landscape of college football. Below is a detailed summary of their discussion, organized into clear sections with notable quotes highlighted.

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1. Embracing Yoga and Wellness

Lane Kiffin opens up about his commitment to yoga as a foundational element of his daily routine. He describes his unique approach to yoga, emphasizing intensity and discomfort to build mental resilience.

• Pushing Boundaries in Yoga:
  Lane Kiffin [02:18]: "This isn't like traditional yoga, like flow... I gotta go to another level. Make it as hot, intense..."

• Daily Discipline:
  Kiffin [02:52]: "Yeah, every day. Every morning. It starts my day that way... get uncomfortable and sit in it."

Kiffin highlights how morning yoga sessions help him manage stress and maintain focus throughout his demanding coaching schedule.

2. Coaching Philosophy and Leadership

Kiffin discusses his approach to leadership and building a robust football program at Ole Miss. He emphasizes discipline, resilience, and creating a culture of excellence.

• Creating Toughness:
  Kiffin [04:25]: "We’re making these kids tougher."

• Focus on Ole Miss:
  Kiffin [09:33]: "My job is to Ole Miss and not to potential future presidents or fans at other places."

He underscores the importance of prioritizing the team and university's needs over external opinions, fostering a dedicated and unified environment.

3. Leveraging Social Media for Recruitment and Branding

Kiffin shares how he utilizes social media, particularly Twitter, to build his personal brand and engage with fans. This strategy has differentiated him from traditional coaches and aided in recruiting efforts.

• Authentic Engagement:
  Kiffin [05:23]: "I'll just be normal. And then buddies start sending me stuff. I just retweet it."

• Building a Fanbase:
  Kiffin [06:04]: "They feel like we already know you because of it."

By presenting himself authentically online, Kiffin has cultivated a strong and relatable presence, attracting both fans and prospective players.

4. Experiences within the SEC vs. Other Conferences

Comparing his tenure in various conferences, Kiffin highlights the unique intensity and passionate fanbase of the SEC compared to his previous positions at USC and Alabama.

• Fan Passion in the SEC:
  Kiffin [14:31]: "The SEC's had more draft picks, more championships... it's a way of life down here."

• Stadium Atmosphere:
  Kiffin [16:12]: "The electricity before games as people walk into the stadiums. Like it's just different."

He appreciates the fervent support and high-stakes environment of the SEC, which he believes elevates the competitiveness of the programs.

5. Relationship with Nick Saban

Kiffin reflects on his time working with Nick Saban at Alabama, admiring Saban's relentless pursuit of excellence and strict leadership style.

• Admiration for Saban:
  Kiffin [41:32]: "He was so strict on everything. Kind of like an apparent way, like with his team... that's why he is what he is."

• Learning from the Best:
  Kiffin [44:50]: "He was helping the kids with like the Easter eggs... that was pretty cool to see that side of him."

Despite initial friction, Kiffin now regards Saban as one of the greatest coaches, appreciating the discipline and consistency he instilled.

6. Navigating NIL and Modern Recruiting Challenges

The discussion shifts to the impact of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) regulations on recruiting, with Kiffin expressing concerns about increased financial pressures and shifting motivations among players.

• Impact of NIL:
  Kiffin [52:21]: "With NIL, a lot of booster part because they got to get their resources paid now..."

• Changing Player Motivations:
  Kiffin [58:20]: "It's their minds and then getting in their own way... they got the money too."

Kiffin emphasizes the need to adapt recruiting strategies to address the complexities introduced by NIL, ensuring that players remain focused on their development and team success.

7. Personal Growth and Work-Life Balance

Kiffin candidly discusses his personal struggles with work-life balance, including past divorces and the challenge of prioritizing family over his coaching career.

• Finding Balance:
  Kiffin [66:36]: "I failed at that because I was the head coach... not like, oh, I'm a husband, not I'm a father."

• Overcoming Challenges:
  Kiffin [71:26]: "I changed my diet, I stopped the alcohol, I started working out... pouring into other people instead of just myself."

Through lifestyle changes and a shift in priorities, Kiffin has worked to create a healthier balance between his professional responsibilities and personal life.

8. Advice on Overcoming Setbacks

Drawing from his experiences, Kiffin offers advice to listeners facing personal or professional setbacks, emphasizing resilience and daily progress.

• Embracing Adversity:
  Kiffin [79:19]: "They can do it. These things happen... they just feel like it in the moment and they're gonna pass."

• Taking It Day by Day:
  Kiffin [80:56]: "Just be really good at it today."

He encourages individuals to view challenges as opportunities for growth, maintaining focus on immediate actions rather than becoming overwhelmed by the bigger picture.

9. Interactions with Fans and High-Pressure Scenarios

Kiffin recounts intense interactions with fans, especially in high-stakes environments like SEC games, highlighting the passionate and sometimes hostile atmosphere.

• Facing Hostility:
  Kiffin [34:24]: "They got a real conversation with me during the week about bulletproof vest."

• Managing Fan Aggression:
  Kiffin [35:04]: "They throw things at me like golf balls... I look closer as a range ball."

These anecdotes illustrate the extreme pressure and emotional volatility coaches can face, particularly in the competitive SEC landscape.

10. Building a Positive Team Environment

Finally, Kiffin emphasizes the importance of creating a supportive and enjoyable environment for both players and staff, believing that success should be coupled with team happiness.

• Cultivating Enjoyment:
  Kiffin [65:20]: "I just try to create an atmosphere that people really want to be at, and they have a lot of fun doing it."

• Balancing Success and Well-being:
  Kiffin [66:36]: "It's awesome if you can win and have fun, because some programs win but they're still miserable."

He advocates for a holistic approach to team management, where discipline and achievement coexist with personal fulfillment and camaraderie.

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Key Takeaways

• Resilience Through Discomfort: Kiffin utilizes intense yoga routines to build mental toughness, mirroring the challenges faced on the football field.

• Authentic Leadership: By embracing social media, Kiffin connects genuinely with fans and recruits, setting himself apart from traditional coaching methods.

• Adaptation to Modern Challenges: The evolving landscape of college football, especially with NIL, requires innovative recruiting and player management strategies.

• Personal Growth Matters: Balancing professional ambitions with personal life is crucial for long-term well-being and success.

• Creating Positive Environments: Success should not come at the cost of team happiness; fostering a supportive and enjoyable atmosphere leads to sustainable achievements.

Lane Kiffin's insights provide a compelling look into the multifaceted role of a modern college football coach, blending strategic leadership with personal development and adaptability.

Transcript

[Theo Vaughn]

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[Lane Kiffin]

Which Yoga.

[Theo Vaughn]

Okay.

[Lane Kiffin]

Very big difference. Yeah. My daughter's actually is a Pilates teacher, but yoga is, like, better. Like the hot yoga part of it. Yeah. The intensity, like, make it so. So miserable, you know? That's what I do. I control the heat in the back.

[Theo Vaughn]

You do?

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah.

[Theo Vaughn]

At the yoga studio.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah.

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh, that's great, man. Yeah. Does it remind you almost of game day out there on the field? Like, is it. Because it gets pretty. I mean, you're in the sec, so it's really. This is really humid area.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah. So I make it that way, too. Like, that we're playing, like, in the swamp or in. In Baton Rouge, like, in our early September games. So it's, like, really hot. So you got to, like, fight through it. Yeah, yeah.

[Theo Vaughn]

Baton ratchet, dude. That's what I call it.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah. I was trying to get you to go this morning, so then, like, you would have gone through the misery and the experience, and then we'd, like, discuss it on air. So you'd be like, man, I did.

[Theo Vaughn]

Get my yoga in this morning, though.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah. A little slower, a little different.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got it in at room Temp.

[Lane Kiffin]

This isn't like traditional yoga, like, flow, which. That's good. That's actually where I started with it. Then I was like, I gotta go to another level. Like, make this. Put a heater in there. Like, make it as hot, intense, and then, like, put cardio in there, and I just, like, bringing new people to, and then they struggle. So it makes me Feel good about myself. Oh, yeah, yeah, that's part of it.

[Theo Vaughn]

That's so. Oh, yeah. All right. Yeah, that was me, this, just a couple hours ago, getting it done with my Cat Williams statue right there.

[Lane Kiffin]

I didn't know what that was, like nutcracker or something.

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh, yeah, that's a. That's a statue of Cat Williams that they have. But, yeah. So is that a big part of your. Like, is yoga like a regular part of your day usually, or your week?

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, every day. Every morning. It, like, starts my day that way. And so there's no phone for an hour, you know, and you gotta, like, you gotta get uncomfortable and you gotta sit in it. So I feel if I can start my day, use it, like 6:00 in the morning that way and be so uncomfortable. That's the hardest part of my day. The rest of it, man, I can deal with the rest.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

And so that, you know, you just. You get in those poses, too, in those positions. You're just like, man, this is. I want to get out of this discomfort. So I gotta stay in the discomfort. And over time, just. I'm able to stay it longer and longer and more intense with the heat. And I feel like the rest of the day, man, I'm just kind of like, chill for the rest of the day.

[Theo Vaughn]

And what. So the. If the heat's been ramped up, what's the next thing you think you would add into to Lane Kiffin? Like, the Lane Kiffin yoga experience, which almost seems like people should wear pads to be added. It seems like.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah. Well, we have playlists, so we got good music, good energetic music. We put some cardio in there now. And so we challenge the teachers, like, come up with the hardest things possible. So they just, like, make this list of stuff, like, you know, back when you were, like, young and you were, like, training in high school, and they just put up all the. All the different, like, 3 by 10, 3 by 15, like, all these and keep going. And then, like, some of the classes, like, are public, so we got students in there, we got other people in there, so. And then we, like.

[Theo Vaughn]

I feel like civilians.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah. I'm trying. I'm trying to take Oxford to another level. So I'm like, I want for generations it to be tough.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

And so sometimes they're like, well, open the door. You know, I'm like, don't open the door, man. We, like, keep them in the heat.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah. Hold the line.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yes. And then at the end, like, I'm like, guess what? We need overtime. Like, Last week, like, it's March Madness. We need an overtime and everything. No, no, over time. No overtime, coach. And I'm like, kick the field goal, Coach.

[Theo Vaughn]

We gotta get out of here.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, we're making these kids tougher.

[Theo Vaughn]

Dang. I can't believe I. The fact that somebody's trying to start generational yoga is. That's next level, man. I guess that's the Lane Kiffin level, you know? And I like the fact. Yeah, you hit me up on social media. I thought that was cool. Just to, like, kind of welcome me into the area today. So I thought that was pretty cool. You kind of have, like, a notorious. You're kind of notorious on Twitter for, like, being, like, a unique. Like, kind of an outspoken coach. Would you say that's a fair term?

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, I would say very different. Yeah. I looked at social media when I started. It was for recruiting because we weren't able to text the gives. A dumb NCAA rule, like, most of them.

[Theo Vaughn]

And you couldn't text them, could you? Mail.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, you could. You could DM them. You could. On Twitter, you. Okay, you message them. You can message them on Twitter, but.

[Theo Vaughn]

You couldn't text them personally.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yes. Made no sense, Right? So that's why it was started. And then I just kind of started being a normal person. I was like, you know, I can't be a normal person as a coach in a lot of my life. So I was like, on social media, I'll just be normal. And then buddies start sending me stuff. I just retweet it. Or other coaches, like, in the sec, like, Kirby Smart, he. All the time because he's politically correct, so he's like, got stuff he wants to put out there, but he's like, they just send it to me because they know I will. So I just kind of embraced it and ran on that.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah, I think it's. I think it separates you from some of the other guys out there, that's for sure. I think. Yeah. It makes you seem a little bit more kind of crazy and personable at the same time.

[Lane Kiffin]

I think the reason why I kept going with it was because I would go into home visits and these parents would say. Or they'd come into my office, like, when they're doing a campus tour, and they would say to me, like, coach, we feel like we already know you. We love your social media. I love your Twitter. I love your Instagram. Like, we feel like we already know you. And I'm like, well, shoot, how much is that worth that they're already coming to visit Us wanting their kid to go here, saying, we already know you because of it. So then I just kept going with it.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah, I mean, look, you're the only, you're the only college coach that we've wanted to meet up with. So this has kind of worked out. Yeah, I think it probably does have an effect. You know, I've made it.

[Lane Kiffin]

I feel like I've made it then. Well, now this college coach that Theo Vaughn wants to do a show with.

[Theo Vaughn]

You don't lose your job by the.

[Lane Kiffin]

Time this is over, then that's the, that's the goal.

[Theo Vaughn]

That's the goal. Yeah. To keep you.

[Lane Kiffin]

Five more minutes.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah, 55 more minutes. That's the goal. Is there a difference between the kind of the Twitter lane and, and I'm, I'm the one saying putting you in a third person. I know you're not doing that. So. But is there a difference between the kind of the Twitter personality and the, the personality of the actual personality? Like, what's kind of like offline lane?

[Lane Kiffin]

I would say the Twitter is probably closer to it. You know, people that are around me all the time and stuff say like, what was out there early on, especially about me or what people think really isn't what he is. And you probably hear that a lot. But yeah, so I feel like Twitter is more actually how I am just kind of. Okay, that's funny. I'll just like say that or send that out, you know, like. And so I'm not an old school coach in many regards at all. Just because I think you should always evolve. You should always not do things. Because it was in a book of how to do it before and always kind of test things, you know, like around here we say, you know, instead of just thinking outside the box, we create a new box. We challenge everything, different ways of thinking things. So. And social media is part of that because that's not. Or how I do a press conference or even doing this. There'd probably be some coaches that even if they, if you did call them up for this, they wouldn't do it because they'd say, okay, well, that's not really the message I want to put out, you know? Yeah, yeah.

[Theo Vaughn]

Kim Mulkey won't text me back.

[Lane Kiffin]

I, I mean, that should be like a no brainer.

[Theo Vaughn]

That's what I'm thinking. In state.

[Lane Kiffin]

I mean, you got to have amazing like Louisiana following positive numbers. I don't know how they track that, but it's got to be amazing. I mean, you're one of them.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah, I'M not at the Flower Johnson levels yet. I'll get there, though. I think so. Why? Why do you think? Like, because, yeah, you do have a unique personality, right? And you, at least your personality is able to be seen these days. And I think that that's something that just happens more over time with social media and more just. We have more video of people in general now, you know, so there's just like, so many more little moments that get captured. So you get to know somebody's personality. And that's how I think a lot of fans, they. I think they gravitate a lot more towards athletes, coaches, anybody really in the world, because they get to know their personality. Right. We were talking before about social media and how that kind of like. Like why people kind of gravitate towards certain people on social media. And I think some of that's. That's just kind of the answer. It's just there's more out there, and if people are willing to show some of their personality and not kind of follow like, this playbook of exactly how things are supposed to be, but remain within hr. HR has a box you have to stay in. Pretty much, yeah. But I think. I don't know if I'm. Don't make any sense.

[Lane Kiffin]

As a head coach. You got a lot of people that you've got to please, right? And that's challenging in these type of settings and these things, because you want to talk to recruits in that age group, your current players, your fans. But then you also have administration. You've got old donors that have been around a long time, seen things done a certain way for a long time. So there's a lot of challenges in that. And you can't. You can't please everybody, which, you know, so I've kind of. Right or wrong, I've always said, hey, my job is to. Wherever I'm working at, meaning my job is to Ole Miss and not to potential future presidents or ads at other places or other fan bases. And so whether I was at Tennessee or USC or here, wherever I was, it was like, okay, a lot of what I say other fans don't like, maybe even other athletic directors, like, well, I don't like that he said that. But our own fans, our own administration really like it because it's usually me backing Ole Miss and saying what I think about the program, what it should be, and maybe sometimes taking shots at other programs or something like that. Factual information blatantly, you know, and putting it out there. And so that. That upsets some people and upsets a lot of other fan bases. Well, that's not my job to worry about them.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah. Yeah. You have one fan base.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah. That's. They're not. They didn't hire me. They're not paying the bills. So I've always looked at. And I think a lot of coaches don't do that. And I'm not saying I'm right. A lot of coaches say, hey, I'm going to say things so that future employers potential that they see it, so then they're going to want to hire me. And I've just never thought that way.

[Theo Vaughn]

Do you. You already had two experiences like coaching in the sec, right? At Alabama and at Tennessee.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yep.

[Theo Vaughn]

Like, how's it been different here at Ole Miss? Because, I mean, you know, some people call it the Yale of Mississippi kind of.

[Lane Kiffin]

Well, I think, you know, I was, as you mentioned, the head coach of Tennessee, then offensive coordinate Alabama, so spent some time there and those programs really, over a long period of time, had won a lot of games. Alabama, unbelievable championship runs. Coach Saban, probably a, you know, a decade there. That's never going to be done ever again.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah, too many wins, I think for a school. Not good for them at a certain point. But we're not.

[Lane Kiffin]

Not good for competitive environment throughout the conference when he was taking all the players and winning all the games. No. And Ole Miss had been down.

[Theo Vaughn]

Right.

[Lane Kiffin]

You know, somebody said a stat the other day, you know, in the last four years. So the seniors in college here, it's been a cool experience for them. They saw a national championship in baseball. They just saw both basketball teams go to the Sweet 16. And in four years of football here, we've had three top 12 finishes. Well, they only had one in the previous 51 years.

[Theo Vaughn]

Wow.

[Lane Kiffin]

So there's been four and 55 years. They've seen three of the four. So the difference obviously in the programs was different, but I really liked that it was like a challenge because you can come in at the top of a place that's kind of always one and then you win. It's like, okay versus wow. Let's like change what's happened. Let's like create a new winning culture, a new way of thinking in how the locker room and the whole university thinks about football and the program. And so we've raised the expectations to where we won 10 games and people are upset around here, you know.

[Theo Vaughn]

Right.

[Lane Kiffin]

And so, yeah, that's a different energy.

[Theo Vaughn]

You guys were 13 points away from 13 more points. And you guys are undefeated last year. 13 total. Well, you need three to win. So 16 more points last year and you guys would have been undefeated. Yeah, pretty crazy.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, we played 13 games, 10 of them we won by double digits. And then the three losses were all one score games right at the end of the game.

[Theo Vaughn]

What's, what's kind of different between coaching like in the PAC 10 or I think it's the PAC 12 or something now everybody keeps kind of like changing.

[Lane Kiffin]

Their names, but I don't think it exists anymore. It's like pack two now. Yeah, pack two is like it was eight at one point and it was 10 and it was 12 and now.

[Theo Vaughn]

Some of those teams should not have been in there.

[Lane Kiffin]

And now there's like two. Everybody else left.

[Theo Vaughn]

What was it like? What do you notice different between coaching and like the Pack, like a different conference as opposed to the SEC, like. Yeah, you coached at FAU, you coached at, you coached in the pack, 10 to 12, eight. You know, what's the difference? You think?

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, you know, there's a saying like in the SEC day coin, like it just means more and it really does. Like the passion in the towns for the football programs, the attention on it and really the play over time has been dominant. The SEC's had more draft picks, more championships, all those things, it's just different. It's a way of life down here.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah. People that can't even read and they can, but they're just yelling, go dogs. I feel if somebody come out of a coma and be like go dogs or something, you know?

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah.

[Theo Vaughn]

Or somebody like come out of a coma like and then just pass away, like people's last words, baby's first words. There's like 30 videos of baby's first words being like sec, chance or whatever. It's a lot.

[Lane Kiffin]

I was the head coach at usc. You spend time out in la, so it's just a different world out there. And I remember I was walking through campus and I was like, man, I bet like 50, 70% of these students have no idea who am. I'm the head coach of the football team. They got no idea who I am. They just, they're going to school at usc, you know, getting their education.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

And like here that, that like, like 100 know who you are. You know, like the, the little kids, like the, you know, you go to like walk downtown and like a 4 year old's like Coach Kiffin, like they know who you are. So it's it like they'll complain about your people that haven't been down here. Maybe that makes sense to them. Like to understand that. Yeah. You know, like you don't go anywhere without any. Everybody knowing who you are. But also like that too, you know? Yeah, yeah, they're like eight year old kid, maybe not four. They just say, but eight year old. Well, we've been winning, so don't say that. But that'll happen as soon as we lose a couple. Yeah, but no, they do. They'll be like, coach, man. Like, what about throwing that tight end on the in route? I'm like, you're like eight. Like how do you, how do you know that?

[Theo Vaughn]

It's 11am what are you doing at this cafe? You should be in school. You should easily. Obviously you're truant, but yeah, it's definitely. It's a lot more intense in the South. It's just. Yeah, it's.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, they're like, like Coach, you're 3 for 14 on third downs. I'm like, I didn't even know that. And they do, but it's just, it just means more the passion for. And it's also why it's so awesome too. It's why the stadiums are the way that they are. The electricity before games as people walk into the stadiums. Like it's just different.

[Theo Vaughn]

That. Yeah. Cuz you guys have a walk. I mean, I, I think a couple of teams do a walk now. Do people ever try and tickle you or whatever when you walk by or. That's crazy. That's something. Nobody.

[Lane Kiffin]

Well, I like moved. I. This happened at Tennessee and then here and maybe this isn't like the best thing, but I like moved it a little wider. Like they didn't have like barricades on the walk and they're like, well, it's great, man. The fans are like, you interact with them. Like this walk is like a half mile. Like you're walking through like 40,000 people.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

You know, and like you got to wear a suit and everything. And then like they're like grabbing you and everything. And so I moved the people and adults. Yeah. Like a little wider. Plus, I mean we are in the deep south, so there's a lot of great things and. But I mean there's just some different things too now. You know, they're like grabbing you. They got two spit on her hands.

[Theo Vaughn]

Demand people just yelling stuff like, yeah, there's a lot.

[Lane Kiffin]

And it's like, whoa. Can we like, like move these just back a little bit maybe, like maybe I can just do the wave. Yeah, you know. Hey guys, good to see you.

[Theo Vaughn]

Put the defensive tackles along the outside. Yeah. I agree. But you guys, yeah, it's definitely a ton of tradition here. I mean, this is like Morgan Freeman's front porch down here in the South. It's a slower lifestyle. Was that a little bit tough for you? I mean, what. I mean, it is Mississippi. Is this. It's a. It is like wandering back through time, you know?

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, there's a lot there. I can unpack there. Yeah, I'm.

[Theo Vaughn]

I mean, it's a lot of history.

[Lane Kiffin]

I moved here.

[Theo Vaughn]

A lot of tradition, and everything you're.

[Lane Kiffin]

Giving me is just full disclosure. Anyway, I moved here because it was SEC head job and I thought we could win and do a great job. It wasn't. I wasn't like, man, I want to move to, like, I'm just really dying to move to Oxford, Mississippi.

[Theo Vaughn]

Right.

[Lane Kiffin]

But I also didn't know much about it either, so I judged it that way. Just kind of like a lot of people do about Mississippi. And at first it was a lot because. Because I'd spent most of my time before that in South Florida or in la, at usc. And I was like. At first I was like, this is a lot like. I mean, long winded, like, a lot of conversations, slow moving.

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh, yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

But then you say thank you. Like, it's not over, right? Hey, thank you. And then, like, they just keep going.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

Like, no, but no, really, thank you. I really appreciate it. Like, I'm gonna go to go now. Oh, well, what are you. So what are you doing tomorrow? I just met you, like, you know, like.

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh, yeah, you can make. Everybody's a friend. They. And there's also so many famous authors, though, that. That's why the south is so full of famous storytellers, because everybody is one, you know.

[Lane Kiffin]

But then it took me some. I'm so glad that I've been here long enough now. Five years, going on the sixth year. And now I see it completely different. Now I go back to, like, South Florida or I go to la and I'm like, dang, these people are rude. Like, everybody's just moving fast. Everybody's just into themselves. Nobody's like saying hi. So it's like what I thought really was kind of bad. Now I'm like, man, I love it now. You know, it's like a warmth, a sweetness, you know, hospitality and people being nice. And I've. And I've learned to. That's actually slowed me down because I was always like, what job can I get? You know, how fast can I move, how many championships to win? Like, just always moving And I was like, maybe they're onto something here. Maybe this slow down thing that I was judging at first. Like, I made jokes about the rocking chairs. Like, people sitting. Rocking chairs. Yeah. And I'm like, at first, Charlotte Airport.

[Theo Vaughn]

Or whatever, I saw that.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, I did. When I was. And I was like, you'll see.

[Theo Vaughn]

Somebody has a 40 second layover. They're like, I'm gonna get a little rest in.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah. And I'm like, I actually saw some right away, and people were in them. And I said to some of them, like, what are they doing? That looks miserable. Like, that's so slow. And it's just two of them sometimes one like, what are you doing? Well, they don't even have their phone out. Like, what do you. And now I'm like, hey, they're onto something. Yeah, just slow down. And so I've kind of said, hey, maybe there's something to the Mississippi lane. I just slow down. Taking conversations, listen to people instead of just always talking and moving. And now I love it.

[Theo Vaughn]

It's definitely like the program is. It feels a lot different. You know, my best friend has been in hiding for years. He's an Ole Miss, like, fanatic. He will sit there and, you know, he's betting on test scores. He's betting on all types of stuff. He's betting on SAT over unders for, you know, foreign exchange students. So he gambles as well, obviously. But now he's like, out and proud kind of, you know, he's rocking that powder blue the past few years. He's really feeling the vibes, you know.

[Lane Kiffin]

So I have some cool. A couple cool things happen like that. Where I was with Landry, my daughter at this Landry. Yes.

[Theo Vaughn]

Okay.

[Lane Kiffin]

Jen say the sushi restaurant. And I'm at the restaurant with her in this. This kid comes up and senior in college, and she goes, she and like the south. Because the women know the football just as much as the men.

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh, yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

And she's like, I just want to thank you. She's like, my four years here have been amazing. Like, she's like, this was like a year ago. So her first year had been bad. So she's like, my four year. The first year the team was bad. Then you came. And then she's like, you totally changed my college experience. I'm like, dang, that's really cool. You know that like, like you said, your buddy now, like, feels better about wearing an Ole Miss shirt. You know, there's like, more pride into it, you know, so that's pretty cool. That We've been part of that change and part of that experience for kids that, like, now they're going to want to come back to games, you know, and so that's pretty cool.

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh, yeah. I mean, it's like, that's when you want to be there. You want to be there at the. At the angle, you know? That's when you want to be there.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah. Nobody wants to be like, man, when I was in college, man, our team sucked. Like, nobody went to the games. It was terrible, you know, like, so it's really cool that we've been part of that again. Coming into a place that have been down a little bit. That's another cool part of it. Yeah. And also, like, the players, too, when you come in and they've been losing, then the players in the locker room and you come in and they just embrace everything, and then you start winning, and they're just so excited because they're not used to it. So that. That's a really cool thing about turning programs around and being in those locker rooms.

[Theo Vaughn]

To see that happen.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yes. To see their appreciation. Appreciation for that again, where if you're just coming in, in places on top and they're just winning and they're just winning again. It's just. They just expect it. And so they're not as appreciative of those moments because they haven't had it taken away.

[Theo Vaughn]

Right. You're on a pretty famous, like, text chain with, like, other SEC coaches. This is alleged.

[Lane Kiffin]

And yeah.

[Theo Vaughn]

Kirby Smart Sarkeesian. What are the vibes on the chain? I feel like, like, what is it like on there?

[Lane Kiffin]

I feel like I keep it together. Like, I keep the group together because, like, one will beat the other or they'll say something and they kind of, like, get mad at each other and then they won't, like, text for a week. If, like, you beat him, then he doesn't text for a week. Or if they're playing each other that week, they certainly are going to say anything. And I'm like, guys, and by you.

[Theo Vaughn]

Beat him, it means you. When you guys beat Georgia last year. But go on. I feel it.

[Lane Kiffin]

But then I just say something that night, you know, like, hey, man, like, you'll probably get us next year, you know? Like, they don't, like, they don't think that's funny, you know, like, then one of them side text me, like, hey, man, you shouldn't have said that. Kirby's pissed off, you know, And I'm like, dude, it's just a game. Relax. We're Buddies.

[Theo Vaughn]

Do you guys vote on how another coach gets into the text chain or what is the.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, there's been conversations about that.

[Theo Vaughn]

Really?

[Lane Kiffin]

I just kind of. I actually have a. They may not know this. We're giving a lot of information out today. Appreciate you coming. So, you know, kind of give you some special insight. I have multiple ones, so sometimes I'll say something, that guy's not in it, and that guy's. You know, then this guy's in it. And so, like, I kind of make sure I know who's in them, you know, when I say certain things. And then, you know, every once in a while, I've got someone who does something, and then I left. I move them out of the chat.

[Theo Vaughn]

No.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's. It's happened. You know, Jimbo Fisher removed from chat RIP. And then, like. Then I, like, put them back in.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah, yeah, but. And. And.

[Lane Kiffin]

And they're, like, typical coaches. They don't know how to remove somebody or add somebody. So it's, like, pretty cool that I can do it. And they're like, how do you do that?

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah, yeah. Lane's one of them tech wizards.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Coaches are a little behind time. That's a big deal to be able to remove somebody from his head. Like, whoa. He must really, like, have somebody teaching him this stuff.

[Theo Vaughn]

Who is. Who's the most mysterious SEC coach to you, do you think?

[Lane Kiffin]

Maybe Brian Kelly, speaking of lsu, you know, like, I like Brian. Not a south guy, you know, kind of came in, and so I think maybe people don't really understand him. You know, he's just kind of. He's a little bit different than maybe your traditional, like, Kirby Smart. He's, like, born and raised sec.

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh, yeah. He cuts his own hair.

[Lane Kiffin]

I mean, it looks like it. Yeah, he really does. I'm totally putting that in the show.

[Theo Vaughn]

I don't know. It definitely looks like somebody ran a slant with some scissors across his forehead.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah. Like a bowl.

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh, it's unbelievable. And here's.

[Lane Kiffin]

And he shows the same haircut when he was, like, playing. It's like, it never changed.

[Theo Vaughn]

And it's a children's bowl. Get an adult bowl. What kind of.

[Lane Kiffin]

He does.

[Theo Vaughn]

What kind of dishware are you guys using at the salon? No, an actually beautiful man there, too. I wanted to say that Kirby, but.

[Lane Kiffin]

Oh, there you go.

[Theo Vaughn]

But, yeah, like. Well, Brian Kelly, they also put him on that lazy Susan. Remember when he first came in? It's like. And that's a. It's a tough.

[Lane Kiffin]

I retweeted. That.

[Theo Vaughn]

You what?

[Lane Kiffin]

I retweeted that. Like, when he did that thing. Yeah, he was with the quarter. It was terrible.

[Theo Vaughn]

I thought this was for a strip club, to be honest with you. I thought this was for.

[Lane Kiffin]

I think I wrote something like. Do you actually know they're filming you? Like, did you put this out on purpose? Purpose, Like. Like, you. You know they're going to film you when you're doing this.

[Theo Vaughn]

I thought this was a gender reveal. And I was like, well, what are we. What is it?

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah. And it's not like, his f. His, like, first one. He did it, like, the year before. I'm like, do you realize you're, like, kind of grinding on the dude?

[Theo Vaughn]

This was also a strip club advertisement near Natchez, Mississippi, I think, as well. No judgment outside of there. I've spent time there. But, yeah, maybe Brian Kelly is kind of mysterious. I think also maybe it's just because he's from. He hadn't. Had he coached in the SEC before or not?

[Lane Kiffin]

No, I don't think so.

[Theo Vaughn]

And he's a nice guy.

[Lane Kiffin]

Like, at Notre Dame, right? You're at Notre Dame and then you're like, lsu.

[Theo Vaughn]

I know.

[Lane Kiffin]

I mean.

[Theo Vaughn]

I know. I mean, you went from heaven to.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, that's just like. That's as big a change as you can have. South Bend to Baton Rouge.

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh, yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

And the sec. And so.

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh, yeah, dude. South Bend this down there into the Mr. Weatherall belt. Yeah. Yeah. I think that's about. I don't think they make a bigger change than that. You know, life's better with a good hack, like learning the secret menu at your favorite restaurant or stumbling upon a buy one, get one sale at the mall. Well, there's a wireless hack, too, and it's called Visible. Visible's like ordering from the secret menu in wireless. You get unlimited data and hotspot, and plans start at just $25 a month for one line, taxes and fees included. Plus, Visible runs on Verizon's 5G network for great coverage, fast speeds, and a seamless connection. And it's all digital. Don't like going to the phone store? Visible doesn't have them. You switch from your phone and manage your plan in an app. Now, that's a hack. If you're ready for wireless that lets you live in the know, make the [e-mail] Plans start at $25 a month for our best features. Get the new Visible Plus Pro plan for $45 a month. Terms apply. See visible.com for plan features and network Management Details Ready to win some real cash during the basketball playoffs? Check out pick six from DraftKings when it comes to basketball payouts, DraftKings pick six posterizes all the competition. Hit all your picks and score higher. Minimum payouts on Pick six plus even more cash if you outscore the competition. Pick six is available in most states including Missouri, California, Texas, Georgia and more. New players get 50 and pick six credits instantly on just a five dollar entry. When I'm using pick six, I like to rock with Anthony Edwards and I run the over and then I'll also roll with Shay Gillis Alexander and run the over baby. Download the DraftKings Pick Six app now and use Code Theo. That's Code the for new customers to play $5. Get $50 in Pick 6 credits. Better payouts, bigger wins only with Pick 6 from DraftKings the crown is yours. Gambling Problem Call 1-800- Gambler Help is available for problem gambling, call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org in Connecticut. Must be 18 and over. Age and eligibility restrictions vary by jurisdiction. Pick 6 not available everywhere, including New York and Ontario. Void were prohibited 1 per new customer bonus awarded as non withdrawable pick 6 credits that expire in 14 days. Limited time offer see [e-mail] promos this episode is brought to you by Sonic Drive in America. You deserve a better burger. One that's made to order hand smashed Angus beef patties hot off the grill with melty cheese.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah.

[Theo Vaughn]

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[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah.

[Theo Vaughn]

You have people who can't read, people who can't see, but they'll. They'll show up and watch a game somehow. And you don't see that in other.

[Lane Kiffin]

Conferences, so that totally happens. And I. I remember. So my first taste of the south was going to Tennessee as the head coach. And I'm coming from. I was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders. And then I've been at USC before this. I'm like, coming from California to, like, Tennessee. And I remember, I'm like, there's a lot of people. They have a spring game. There's like 70, 000 people here at the spring game. Like 50, 000 there two hours before. And they're like, yeah, at the big games, like, the thing will sell out, then there'll be another 20, 000 outside. And I'm like, oh, I went to school here. I'm like, no, no, don't get it. No. And then when I went to Alabama, the same thing. They're like, no, half these people didn't go to school here. They just. They lived in the state at one point, so they. It's their team. It's not because they went to school there. And, like, their passion is unbelievable. And I'm like, wait, you didn't even go to school here?

[Theo Vaughn]

No, no, no, But I didn't go to school at all, so. But.

[Lane Kiffin]

But my daddy knew somebody that did. Yeah, I'm like, wait, your dad went? No, he didn't either. So no one in your family ever went?

[Theo Vaughn]

No, sir.

[Lane Kiffin]

To Alabama?

[Theo Vaughn]

No, sir.

[Lane Kiffin]

But you, like, your whole week, your whole year is affected, whether they win or lose. Like, just angry the rest of the year, whether they win or lose. That, like, Alabama, Tennessee game. Yes, that's it.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yes.

[Lane Kiffin]

But it doesn't impact you, like, your job? Do you work for.

[Theo Vaughn]

No, I don't work, sir, but I cheer for the time. I mean, they got that one guy, that Roll Tide Willie now, and he's. He was in the military with my dad's buddy. But what is. What's your favorite place to play, do you think? In the sec outside of Vault Hemingway?

[Lane Kiffin]

Well, I don't know about Favorite, because Favorite would be like, anarchy.

[Theo Vaughn]

Right. It's anarchical for you guys. Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

You know, like, Favorite might be somewhere really easy. Like. No, the. The most intense places.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah. Or just which one are you? Get out there and you're like, man, this is freaking majestic. How about that? Let's use that word.

[Lane Kiffin]

This is why you have like such a different audience of like so many different areas of. Because like you use big words too. Oh, you know, like. Yeah, you're educated.

[Theo Vaughn]

Majestic. Mua.

[Lane Kiffin]

Majestic place.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

What's a big Neyland Stadium in Tennessee? It's like amazing. Like it's just like when we would bring recruits there it is majestic. Like there you go, like and then at night, and then there's the river and the boats and then the intensity in there. So I was the head coach here, Ole Miss, we went to play at Tennessee and it was like on from warm ups. Like everyone was there, over a hundred thousand people. And there was like this hatred towards me. Like I felt like the gladiator to movie, you know, like I was. They were getting ready for like a thumbs down, you know, like, let's kill him.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

And then it like.

[Theo Vaughn]

And it's probably 12, 000 people are carrying weapons in there at that time.

[Lane Kiffin]

They had a real conversation with me during the week about bulletproof vest. Like, but again, like, there's no way, guys, come on, man. It's football. And they're like, they had like three cops with me and everything.

[Theo Vaughn]

Like, like it's deer season, so they.

[Lane Kiffin]

Ain'T going to really do that. Maybe like a golf ball, you know, they're going to throw at me or a bottle or something. Yeah. So they walking in and I was like, this is awesome.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

Like now I could feel O. Yeah. They were like chanting like, you know, like Lane Kiffin. And like that was actually like felt kind of like intense and cool. Like 100,000 people chanting that.

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh yeah. If a bunch people hate you at once, it's easier to go. It's easier to digest.

[Lane Kiffin]

And then they're like. The student section was like, hey, you know last night we were with your wife and I was like, man, that's pretty funny, like to come up with stuff, you know, like, so it was intense and it was like. And it just kept building. So maybe like everybody didn't hate me at the beginning, but then, you know, it's like a crowd like storm. They feel it. And then the hatred just kept building. And then it was like really close game at the end. And then we won.

[Theo Vaughn]

You guys won?

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah. And then they got pissed and they like threw things at me like golf ball and like anything they could get.

[Theo Vaughn]

Like mustard school books, which we need in Tennessee. First of all, they didn't.

[Lane Kiffin]

They didn't have school books. Okay. No mustard bottles. Oh, like how do you even have a mustard bottle? Like you just Brought that to the game. Like, hey, hey. We're like, go to the game and sneak the mustard bottle.

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh, you're in the damn condiment belt over there.

[Lane Kiffin]

Isn't mustard free? Like, are you saving money?

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh, you should see where they keep their relish at, brother.

[Lane Kiffin]

And the golf, like. And I was like, they throw this golf ball that became famous that, like, they throw at me, and I'm like, afterwards, I'm like, okay, muster like, okay, what am I sneaking in to the game. A golf. Like, what do you have a golf ball for? Like, I'm carrying a golf ball. Because I don't think they're thinking, I'm gonna throw it. Like, I'm gonna be pissed off in the fourth quarter and throw it right.

[Theo Vaughn]

They just had it on them.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah. But then I look closer as a range ball, so I feel like, you know what it was? It's like the cheap guy that, like, steals the range ball. So, like, okay, this way I, like, have these to hit, like, you know, instead of, like, having to buy a golf ball. So I'm gonna steal the range ball, like, for next time I go and play around. So it was just in his pocket? That was my guess.

[Theo Vaughn]

I. I think that's probably accurate. Oh, there you are. Right there with it. Oh, that's pretty cool.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah.

[Theo Vaughn]

Did you keep that?

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah.

[Theo Vaughn]

You still have it?

[Lane Kiffin]

I did.

[Theo Vaughn]

Hell, yeah. Dude, that's cool. How scary is it? How quick do you want to get off the field when you beat a team in their stadium? Is there a weird energy there for a little, like, is it kind of.

[Lane Kiffin]

That one was. Yeah, yeah, that one definitely was. Most of the time it's not really. Sometimes I kind of like it, you know, like, kind of walk off a little slow, you know, just so, like, you feel the. Like that when. That. You just, like, ruined a hundred thousand people's, like, especially in the sec, like, week, not just day.

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh, yeah. Their traffic home. Yeah. That's a lot. And especially a woman who was going to give birth that week because her husband would be in a good mood. Now they got. She's got to hold it another week. That's the toughest part.

[Lane Kiffin]

Okay. We cannot have. We lost this week.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah. We ain't having a baby under these circumstances.

[Lane Kiffin]

You keep it in there.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah, yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

Hold.

[Theo Vaughn]

Hold the line.

[Lane Kiffin]

We got. We got Bama next week. We win that, you can have a Saturday night.

[Theo Vaughn]

We'll get that thing out. We'll do the twist push. That'll help. What's one of the most aggravating traditions that you think. And what's one of the best traditions you think in college football, if you're even up on them? I know there's a ton of them out there.

[Lane Kiffin]

Well, this is like a big tradition, like, as far as everywhere, not specific places. Like, I. I love the band thing, you know, before, like, it's just really cool when they have the band out there and they spell things. Speaking of the Tennessee. The opening of the tea and then run out. Like, that was really cool to, like, see you're like right there and then like, the band just opens up the tea and you run out. Like, that's. That's a really cool tradition.

[Theo Vaughn]

And is there one that's kind of aggravating that you see at a place somewhere? It could be sec or anywhere.

[Lane Kiffin]

The fan storming thing is a little bit tough, you know, like, they don't do it in the NFL. They found a way, like, I get it, it's pretty cool. But then it can be aggravating because, like, they're storming and like, then you're worried about, like, I'm hitting you, what's going on? What are they going to do? It's like, very, very invasive at that point. But I think, like, if they could just let everybody out and then let the fans on so they still get to tear the goal post down because that's the school and stuff.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah. Yeah. I was at that old. At the Alabama Vanderbilt game and that was pretty sick. And some guy on the sidelines squeezed me so hard, bruised one of my ribs really bad or dislocated it. Right. So I was like doing like that or whatever. And then every other player kept hugging me. So it was just. Just one after the nut. Just the biggest guys you ever even seen just hugging you.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah. They're all excited.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah. And it was just. Oh, dude, it was. That was a really tough day. That was a tough year, actually. That took about eight weeks to get better from.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah. But you were at a historic, like, moment.

[Theo Vaughn]

It was so cool.

[Lane Kiffin]

That will probably never happen to her again. Is it once in a lifetime.

[Theo Vaughn]

Well, Diego Pavia got that six year, that eighth year, I think he got.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah.

[Theo Vaughn]

You never know did that. Were you surprised when he got that? Did it affect any of the way that. Were your players able to apply for anything like that?

[Lane Kiffin]

We tried. We didn't win it. Jackar actually tried to get another year or at least see if the option was there. And, you know, they denied it, but.

[Theo Vaughn]

Dang, there we are. We iced that dude up. Clark Lee.

[Lane Kiffin]

Good dude.

[Theo Vaughn]

I like, I love Clark.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, he is. Good guy.

[Theo Vaughn]

They got a fun group over there and that's kind of underdog energy over there too, you know, Big time. Is there an SEC team that you also cheer for on the low kind of them?

[Lane Kiffin]

I do, yeah. Vanderbilt. Cause I think they have, like, so much stacked against them, you know, like, they got higher academic qualifications to get guys in, so they can't just get all the players. Everybody else can, you know, like harder, you know, because the stadium's usually half full and stuff. So I. I root for them, especially Clark, because that's a hard job.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

And so that's. That's pretty cool for them to win like they did this year.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah, it's exciting over there. Yeah. They carry the goalpost. And then they tried to valet park the goalpost. I heard they got tired of it or whatever.

[Lane Kiffin]

I didn't know that.

[Theo Vaughn]

And they try to valet him at a restaurant. I'm like, you can't. Who you going to give it to? Those three guys up front or whatever? Like, that's crazy. Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

But that might be the only, like, SEC town that has valet.

[Theo Vaughn]

That's a good.

[Lane Kiffin]

That's like. When you say that, that doesn't feel. There ain't no valet in most of these town. Valet.

[Theo Vaughn]

That's a great point. Yeah. Yeah. They tried to valet. I'm at a. I think at. At a McCormick and Schmick or something over there, so definitely kind of interesting. I want to talk about Coach Saban. You worked with Coach Saban for a while and you guys have had like, kind of a storied history.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yep.

[Theo Vaughn]

Over the years, I think. Have you. Do you guys still communicate?

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, yeah, we do. He's not a big, like, text guy, but we talk every once in a while.

[Theo Vaughn]

Is he. What? He's not text. He's like, to write. Is he more written kind of. Or.

[Lane Kiffin]

No, you gotta call him.

[Theo Vaughn]

Okay.

[Lane Kiffin]

Um. He did just learn how in the last, like two years, two texts. He had never text before. Wow. Ever, like when there's. I was assistant coach Sarah, he's just like, I'm not texting. Like, he just refused. It was like that old school. Like he's got those old school things that aren't changing. And. And then I like, got a text like 2 years ago from that said good luck or something like that. And I was like. To the group, I was like, dude, I got a saving text. Like, this is amazing. This is like beating Alabama. Like, this isn't supposed to happen. Never thought I'd see This day. And. And then Kirby's like, yeah, I. I got one earlier this year too. Like, he's like, learned how to text. Just like, you get one or two words, but. But that relationship's like, almost in a way, kind of like how you can struggle sometimes. Like, maybe when you're in it with like a parent, and then you get out. Like, you get older and you get away. You get out of the house.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

And then you're like, dang, man. He. He was onto something. He was right on most things. So I look back as I was there for three years, and there was friction initially, and I look back, there's all my. I'm the assistant. You know what I mean?

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

He's the head coach. You know, whatever he says goes, oh.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah, you're supposed to keep it classy over there.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yes. And that's not his way is very. Like, this is the way. Like, there's not open discussions about it and stuff. And I was. I'd worked for Pete Carroll as assistants. That's all I knew. And it's just totally different. So, like, you come in, you have an open conversation, and you're questioning the process. No, I just was asking, like, have we looked at this? You know, like, so I didn't really know how it worked right away. And so it took a little bit of time.

[Theo Vaughn]

Like, he didn't want a lot of suggestions.

[Lane Kiffin]

No, no, no, no. It's not like the suggestion box. Like, hey, let me pull this. Oh, here. Here's a good idea. You know, like, so it was. It was just something I wasn't used to that way. And so it took a little bit of time, but now that I look back, I'm like, okay. He was so strict on everything. Kind of like an apparent way, like with his team, with the players, coaches. Like, nothing. Nothing changed. Even we won national championship. And there's 7:30 staff meeting the next morning. I'm like, what are we meeting on at 7:30 the next morning? He's like, we're behind, you know, because we won the championship. Everybody else was recruiting or behind, and I was like, what are we doing? But now I look back and be like, that's why he is what he is. That's why he was so great. Because it was like the standard never changed, no matter what. And then that took me some time to understand too. Like, when you. When we were winning and. And playing really well and coaching really well, he was harder on you because he didn't want you to have relief syndrome, you know, like, oh, man, we. We've made it. And I didn't really call it that re syndrome. I saw he was on the pivot, like, a month ago, and I listened to it with my son Knox, and he talked about it in there. He'd never explained it to us, but it was interesting hearing. He said most people are born with a relief syndrome. He wasn't. He just always had this way of thinking, like, hey, you never relax, like, but most people are. So he went above and beyond to make sure people didn't have that. Like, we'd win a game, and then he comes in and just, like, rips us.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

They're like, man, we played great. Like, coach great. That was because he was guarding against that, because he knew that that could happen.

[Theo Vaughn]

Dang.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah.

[Theo Vaughn]

He wasn't letting anything be a possibility.

[Lane Kiffin]

When I left, we'd won 26 straight games, so I only hadn't had many losses. But I do remember the three losses that we had over the three years. Like, he actually, after those, was calm. Like, that's when we didn't get ripped. Because he's like, they're gonna get ripped anyway. I don't need to. You know, Like, I need to. When they're feeling good about themselves, bring him down. So I didn't really understand that at first, and now I look back going, man, he was. There's a reason he's the greatest.

[Theo Vaughn]

Wow. Yeah. Do you regard him as the greatest?

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, I do. I think because, you know, to Bear Bryant's, like, legends back then, no offense, they had, like, unlimited scholarships. Coach Saban did an error where there were reduced scholarship numbers. He also did an error when you're losing coaches left and right. You know, he lost so many assistant coaches, and he just kept winning. And I don't think anybody will ever be able to do that again. And he couldn't even do that again the way that it's going anyway. And now this with the money part and all that stuff, that's. That's, like, evening things out that people can't stack the team teams like he did, because now your second team and third teams, maybe before, where they had to sit there and wait. They. They couldn't leave back then. Now they leave. So you lose your backups because someone gives them more money. And.

[Theo Vaughn]

But how was he able to convince players to sit there, be just as good in. Sit second or third position? That's tough. I feel like.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, well, that's what I'm saying. Part of his time. They couldn't leave yet. He couldn't Transfer now you can transfer twice, twice a year. So he still was able at the end to convince some guys to stay, but he started losing, so the teams weren't as deep.

[Theo Vaughn]

Did he have to recruit the whole time or at a certain point did he. Did the acumen of their coach, of their winning, just be the recruiter for.

[Lane Kiffin]

Him, do you think that helped a lot. But he never changed. That was him. Like there was no relief and it never changed. Like he recruited every day no matter what, and he was non stop and he's relentless. People always say, okay, well why did he win so many championships? Why was he so good? And it's like, well, there's the process, there's the assistant coaches, there's the discipline. All these different areas again, right? But really the number one thing that mattered the most, he out recruited people. He got better players. Right? You get better players, you win a lot of games. It wasn't. They weren't just coming there just to come there. They came there because he recruited really hard.

[Theo Vaughn]

Got it. Did he, what was he like? I mean, did you ever get to spend any time with him? Like was he good at cards or anything like that? Or was he. Did he do anything else besides like, did he ever take his whistle off, you think? Like even in the shower, you know.

[Lane Kiffin]

Coach didn't do a lot of other things. I know he golfed. I never golfed with him, but he golfed.

[Theo Vaughn]

Did he ever invite you? Like, did he ever dress up for Halloween? Like, was there anything you ever saw Coach Saban, dude, that was like felt a little bit more. Not as much like, who's that guy? Robert Downey Jr. What's the character he plays?

[Lane Kiffin]

Iron.

[Theo Vaughn]

That was outside of Iron Man.

[Lane Kiffin]

You know, it's interesting, you know, Nick Saban and people joke. Nick Satan, you know, he was born on Halloween.

[Theo Vaughn]

Was he really his birthday?

[Lane Kiffin]

Every year's Halloween. Oh, yeah.

[Theo Vaughn]

So maybe his whole freaking existence was a costume.

[Lane Kiffin]

Maybe. But he did not. There was not. He wasn't gonna wear a costume or something like that on Halloween. So there was no. Like, how could he have like Halloween parties on your own birthday?

[Theo Vaughn]

Even put on a little cat tail or something.

[Lane Kiffin]

Because it was. No day was different. Every day was the same.

[Theo Vaughn]

Wow.

[Lane Kiffin]

I will say this. I went to Easter one time at his house and my kids, they were still living in California with my wife and because I took the Alabama job. And then they came for Easter.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

And he invited us over and we went over there and he was different. He didn't put on like a Bunny costume. But, like, he was helping the kids with like the Easter eggs. And he had one grandkid at the time and he was like carrying around and like. And it was totally different than the office Nick Saban that we would see all the time, you know, like, so that, that was pretty cool to see that side of him. Now he's also so competitive that he, his grandkid was like one. And all of a sudden the grandkid found the golden egg, you know, like while he was with coach way over there, you know. So coach also is going to make sure that he won.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

But it was pretty cool to see him like that.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah. Yeah. You got to be different. You can't. When Jesus is making a comeback, you can't play defense on that day, you know, that's when you got to just call the dogs off, I feel like. But it is definitely skeptical that a one year old found a golden egg. Was he playing against other kid of kids, like, of age. Children?

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, mine were like 8, 10, and 12.

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh, God, that's sad. But, yeah, winners win, you know, that's what they say. Do you think that Coach Saban misses coaching?

[Lane Kiffin]

I do. I think that. And he mentioned that in that Pivot podcast. But I did always think, okay, if he was going to do this, he was going to have to have. And I, And I used to say he's going to have to kind of have that college game day spot because he's going to want to still, like, be involved. You know, he's just so wired all day long to do something for his entire life now. He ain't. He. He's not going to sit around and just, you know, be a grandpa. Yeah, that's not him. So I think because of that, that's helped a lot. I wouldn't actually be surprised if he came back in the NFL even, you know, as head coach, because he just. He's so good at it and so in him that I'm not sure he won't come back.

[Theo Vaughn]

What I want to talk about the nil. And then I want to talk about your team and Ole Miss here. Does. God, I sound like a sports guy or something?

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah.

[Theo Vaughn]

Even doing.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, you're getting really, like.

[Theo Vaughn]

I know.

[Lane Kiffin]

I feel like going into this, I was gonna. We were gonna go a lot of different directions and now you've come back to like. I think people have probably turned off by now. I know, dude. Hey, tell us about your depth at safety this year.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

How do you guys feel about third down package? Nobody Wants to hear that.

[Theo Vaughn]

I don't know. My first down package is pretty small, I'll tell you that. That's an old wiener joke.

[Lane Kiffin]

She did not. Here we go. Now we were more. There we go. Yes. They're turning back on.

[Theo Vaughn]

I want to tell you about the like Nil. Do you have to spend more time recruiting players or boosters these days?

[Lane Kiffin]

With nil, Yeah, a lot of booster part because they got to get their resources paid now that's going to get a little bit moved now with revenue sharing and coming from the school. But these last few years has been. Okay, well, the boosters have to create these collectives and have to source the money to pay the players. So if you don't have the money, you know the payroll, it's hard to get players. And if you see it's. It's not hard. Look at who just won in basketball, the programs that made the Final Four. Look at what, you know, the final Four college football teams, like, they're, they're major programs that have a lot of financial resources. So yeah, you gotta, you gotta do a lot of that. And then you got to convince the players. Now where it's different is the old school, unfortunately, kind of the old school recruiting of the relationships and having a relationship three years since the kid was a sophomore in high school and stuff. It's not as important anymore because now like, okay, well what are you paying me? You know, the schools, this, this school is this. This school is this. And most of them usually go to the higher, higher number.

[Theo Vaughn]

And is that is a real question out of the gate is what is the offer?

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah.

[Theo Vaughn]

Wow. And do most of them have agents or they have to do that directly by themselves?

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, they now, it's now just transition to where most of agents.

[Theo Vaughn]

That's trash.

[Lane Kiffin]

It's really. You know, we're in my office right here. So I sit here all the time and the recruits sit over there where you guys are. And the parents and I said this to our staff the other day. Like I've sat in so many of these meeting like whatever, say the last hundred and you know, I never hear anymore, what's your graduation rate? I never hear any more, like, what's the academic plan? And it's just kind of sad. These are the parents. Just is what it is. And I. Okay, well, when's our NIL meeting? Yeah, what's the number? What's the second year number? Like, I'm not mad about it, but it's just kind of sad.

[Theo Vaughn]

You just recognize it and, and I'M.

[Lane Kiffin]

Also recognizing it to say, I don't believe long term, that's good for the kids. So this, this has been great for players to make some money, but it's so much money and it's so much focus on the money that then it's like, okay, well then what's next? If I weren't getting the money when I'm 18, then, Then what?

[Theo Vaughn]

Right?

[Lane Kiffin]

You've seen this all the time. People get too much too early, and then what? They crash. So crash out. Yes. And I feel like we're creating a lot of that in this. And now a kid's sitting there listening to his parents out and they want to know the money. Like, so what's the kid supposed to want to know?

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah, it's crazy. I agree. That's bonkers, dude. I, yeah, if I'd have had some money, I'd have left school the second you gave me that chat. I'd have driven across country and got me some damn dope, boy.

[Lane Kiffin]

But I'm sure at that time you thought, man, if I just had a million dollars, man, I'd have no problems. Yeah, yeah. Then life would be great. I heard all the time, these players, I just get money, man. Players I hear from adults, if I get money, man, all my problems, then I'll be good. Good. Okay, we'll see.

[Theo Vaughn]

We'll see.

[Lane Kiffin]

Now I go in the homes and recruiting over all these years, I see the most problems in the families with the most money. Most money, most success. And then I don't feel any warmth in that room. I don't feel the connection with the kids. Like, and then I'll go to a house here in Mississippi or Louisiana, you know, and there'll be 10 people living in this two bedroom house and you just feel like the warmth and like the closeness and everything. And they ain't got hardly anything financially, but then they have this love and this family. And I've just done this for a long time and I see it usually the other way around. Bigger the houses, the more cars, the more money let the more problems.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah, yeah, that's what they said. Jay Z said it, didn't he? Biggie said it. Somebody, yeah, whoever said it got murdered. I remember that, you know, April is financial literacy month. And that makes me think, well, how did I first learn about money? Well, I guess, well, I got a little job that a lady paid me to catch these cats she had and she gave me a little bit of money and I would take that money and I would store it. I had one of those Crown Royal bags, one of the purple bags that came in and I'd put all my money in there and save it. Today's episode is sponsored by Acorns. April is Financial Literacy Month. That's right, they made a whole month reminding you to finally take control of your money. Good news is you don't need 30 days. Acorns makes it easy to start saving and investing for your future in just five minutes. And you don't need to be an expert. Acorns will recommend a diversified portfolio that matches you and your money goals. You don't need to be rich. Acorns lets you get started with the spare money you've got right now, even if all you've got is spare change. I've got it set up for my nieces and nephews so they can learn how to save. Sign up now and join the over 14 million all time customers who have already saved and invested over $25 billion with Acorns. Plus Acorns will boost your new account with a $20 bonus investment offer available at acorns.com t h e O that's a C o r n s.com t h e o to get your $20 bonus investment today. This is a paid non client endorsement compensation provides incentive to positively promote Acorns. Tier 4 compensation provided investing both risk Acorns Advisors LLC and SEC registered investment advisor. View important [e-mail] the this summer I'm going to get to the beach. I'm going to get out there and let the sun hug on my body. That's what I'm going to do. And if I get dehydrated, I know what I'm going to do as well. Liquid I V if you're prepping for a big summer means planning to stay hydrated so you can get the most out of your body and live more during those warm summer months. Visit liquidiv.com and maximize your summer plans with sugar free Hydration featuring the new Raspberry Lemonade Hydration Multiplier. I love Liquid iv. They got them true to fruit flavors that keep you hydrated like acai berry and lemon lime and pina colada. Break the mold and your own ritual. Get ready for summer with extraordinary hydration from Liquid IV. Get 20% off your first order of Liquid IV when you go to Liquid IV.com and use code THEO at checkout. That's 20 off your first order with code T H E O at Liquid I V.com. what's one of the biggest things that Keeps players that are good players from succeeding.

[Lane Kiffin]

Do you find their minds? Yeah, yeah, yeah. A lot of them run fast, jump, throw, and it's their minds and then getting in their own way, you know, and then here comes this. Now you got money too. Here comes this ego coming in. Because I'm a five star, I got all these scholarship offers, like the entitlement of that. And the ego comes in and out. Now they got the money too. So it's like they had this drive to get to the NFL because they want to play in the NFL and they want to get the money. Well, I'm getting the money already. So now that's. Now I've lost some drive there.

[Theo Vaughn]

Right.

[Lane Kiffin]

And they just get in their own ways, you know, and they get so much attention so early and so much. And then it's like they just think it's gonna last forever.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

And they just, like, they just screwed up. So they get in their own ways. And it's usually that one word, ego.

[Theo Vaughn]

What's the craziest thing a player's ever asked you for? Just like point blank, have they ever been like, I need a. Give me a Jaguar, coach, or something like that? Like the animal or the car, not the animal.

[Lane Kiffin]

I wouldn't say create. Like, I don't have a good story, like a crazy thing, you know, like. But it just. What continues to blow my mind and nowadays is they want more when they haven't done anything new. Meaning, like, okay, here's what I got. I got this to come, you know, to transfer to coming out of high school. And then they come in like, okay, well, I need more. And I'm like, well, you didn't do anything. Like, you didn't have a good year. Well, why, why would you get more? Like, it's just that mindset of like, I just deserve more. Like, I, I deserve more and more because there's no, there's no appreciation in there for where they're at. Or like, man, I gotta play better to get more. Just I'm supposed to get more. And that happens all the time. There's two transfer portal windows. So like, if you could negotiate your contract twice a year, every year, but then for six months you haven't done a show, you haven't done anything. But after that six month period, you want a new contract and a new deal bigger than what you had, but you hadn't done anything.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

Or maybe you screwed the shows up right through interceptions, but you still want more. So it's just. And it's not even their Fault because the parents now you got agents.

[Theo Vaughn]

Like, do you still feel like a coach? Do you feel like a banker more?

[Lane Kiffin]

It's not really like a banker, but you. You spend so much time not coaching, and I think that's part of the Nick Saban and, you know, getting out, it's just like, it just changed, you know, because these conversations, these things, and you see the like, greed for it, you know, like. But it's. It's a. It's unique because from someone that's been fortunate to make money, have success, get to the highest levels. Like, it's like I. I keep trying to tell them, like, that's not going to be the answer, right? Like, that new contract, getting that much more money isn't going to change anything. You're not going to, you know, be happier because. But it's like they don't.

[Theo Vaughn]

You can't hear it.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yes.

[Theo Vaughn]

Kids can't hear.

[Lane Kiffin]

I can sit in these two chairs right here to some, some, most of them, some will, but most of them. And they just look at me like there's no way. I'm like, listen to me. Until you fix these internal problems, until you fix how you think that everybody's against you or whatever is. These issues that they each have, and I'll try to like, work through them. I'm like, that, that money, that new contract, that next car, that next girl, like, that's not gonna fix that. And like, if I get picked in the first round, I got that contract. Everything is fixed. Yeah, coach, I don't care what you say type. Trust me.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah, they say it's all a rap. That's. Yeah. Everybody thinks they'll have it figured out.

[Lane Kiffin]

I get more bands. It's good. Yeah, yeah.

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh, yeah, boy, give me a grand right now.

[Lane Kiffin]

It's all I need.

[Theo Vaughn]

I run a 50 right now. I run a 6150. How fast is that?

[Lane Kiffin]

6150. We don't really grade 50. You mean 40.

[Theo Vaughn]

I don't know.

[Lane Kiffin]

That's good. You confuse people. It might be good, might be bad.

[Theo Vaughn]

I don't know what.

[Lane Kiffin]

I don't know if you're slow or fast. 6150.

[Theo Vaughn]

So what is some of your push for players to come here to old misses? He's like, what is it? You know, what do you sell them on about being here?

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, this is a really cool place to go to school. And so I got to see that as a parent. My daughter Landry's a sophomore here, so.

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh, yeah, I've seen her on Tick Tock before I seen you all on there doing makeup or whatever.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, yeah. Like, just like I said, the social media thing. I kind of live like a young person in a lot of ways. Like, just enjoy.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

You know, like, I just try to.

[Theo Vaughn]

Have, like, joy and I'm like, again.

[Lane Kiffin]

Back to a lot of people. You're supposed to be old. You're supposed to be an adult. Like, you can't do, like, a makeup tik tok with your daughter. And, like, I'm gonna be gone someday. I'm gonna be dead or I'm gonna be at the end of it, you know, those last couple years, you think I'm gonna be like, man, I wish I would. Yeah. Think I'm gonna be like, man, I wish I wouldn't have done that with my daughter because some fans think that's, like, I'm soft.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah, dude, I think a lot of. Also a lot of. I bet four of the first round picks this year will be wearing blush.

[Lane Kiffin]

I didn't see. Like, now they're wearing, like, nail polish.

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh, have them wearing nail polish, eyeliner, booty liner. Some guy had on the other day, they caught him. Some guy, I think, that played for Northwestern or Nicholls State or something, but. And I'm like, what is that? Who's putting rouge on their butt cheeks? You know? So I think you're way safe here, coach.

[Lane Kiffin]

But that's just kind of like how I like, I. And I. I don't know. You like. It seems like you have that too, where it's kind of like, man, we're supposed to be growing up, and there's certain aspects. We are, but then these other areas, it's like, what's wrong with having youthful fun? And, you know, like, we go out play pickleball, and somebody's like, I see some old people look at me like, man, he's playing out there with his kids and, like, he's like, dancing to the music, you know, to, like, Taylor Swift playing or something, you know, Like, I'm like, why? Just because I'm, like, getting older, I'm not supposed to, like, have fun.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

You know, or like, when you come to yoga in the morning and, like, we're crushing you in yoga, and I'm kind of like dancing the back, like, talking, celebrating over you, like, and if that happens in the morning, you might crush it in the morning. I don't know.

[Theo Vaughn]

I mean, look, I don't want. I don't want to have to do Yugo or have to wear cleats. Is the only thing that I'm.

[Lane Kiffin]

There's no cleats. No cleats. No socks, even, but.

[Theo Vaughn]

No, I think you're right, man. Yeah, I think. Well, it also goes back to what you said. It's like, you know, you don't like to follow this old playbook about things. You like to have this new playbook about things. What's kind of like part of that. That you offer your players or people that want to come down here? Do you sell them? Like, hey, this is a team that's, like, this is a program that's obviously, it's gone, you know, the trajectory has gone up, you know, especially in the past five years, for sure. In the past decade. Yeah. What do you kind of push them on? How do you get players to. To come here to Ole Miss? Because it's always been a little bit more of the underdog in the sec.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah. I think the kids really, like, we create an atmosphere that you want to be at, not have to. Same with our employees. You know, like, I feel like in the morning, if you ask them when they're getting up and they're driving their cars over, whether it's players or staff, like, they want to be here.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah, the GM had a damn Zen in, I think.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah. Yeah, he does. He's working on it. Yeah, he's trying to quit. He's trying to quit some other things.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah, he's. Hey, look, we've all been through. Thanks, guys.

[Lane Kiffin]

Been there, done that.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

But that atmosphere of comfortable and, like, the players, like, I've been around both, and I've been around as an employee where you're miserable driving in, like, another day, like, and it's just, like, to me, you're not very productive that way. Like, I want our players to come here and, like, they play their own playlists, like, in practice and stuff, you know, like, it's a player's team with discipline. But the same thing around the office. Like, people, when you have hours, like, you don't even have, like, you leave when you're done with your work. You know, I don't have, like, okay, you leave at this time, because then people just sit there and guard their desk, you know, until the time goes. So I just try to create an atmosphere that people really want to be at, and. And they. They have a lot of fun doing it. And it's really. To me, it's awesome if you can win and have fun, because some programs, like, they win, but they're still miserable. And I've seen that. So we try to create this atmosphere And I think people love it.

[Theo Vaughn]

Is it tough to be like a coach and a dad because you have three children. Right. And is it tough to be like a coach and a dad and a coach and a husband? Like, what's that? What is the cross of like those jobs, like for a coach? Because it takes a lot of time.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, I think like a lot of questions, I answer them differently now than I did five, 10, 15 years ago. I think, you know, as I look back and I use my failures and experiences now, it's awesome because I get to use to help others. Yeah. And I help our players when they're going through it. So I like that I had a lot of stuff happen to me or self inflicted stuff. Oh yeah. That like I struggled with for a long time. But then as I like now see, like I get to help like because a coach knows my story or players know and they come in, I can help them with things. Like when you say, okay, how did like the balance of a husband, father and head coach. Well, I failed at that because I as a head coach, like I was a head coach, Tennessee, usc. And I was like, that was my higher power. And I'm the head coach, usc. Yeah. That's who I am. Not like, oh, I'm a husband, not I'm a father. Like, that became my higher power. That was the most important thing to me. And I could feel it because I'd be like, oh, we'd win. So then like the L. A Times, Sunday morning man, coach Lane Kiffin, you know, like, and like, what do you want? And I remember him asking me, like, what do you want? Someday I'm like a statue, like Nick Saban because then, then I made it like they built a statue of me because I won so many games and championships. Yeah, that's what I want. But I was totally missing it because if you ask me that now, what do you want? You know what I want? I want to be a really good dad. I want to be a really good boss, a really good friend, a really good neighbor. The other stuff happens with the wins, that's fine. But I was so focused on that, that controlled everything. I just slept at the office all week long because like, we had to win. That's all that matters.

[Theo Vaughn]

And like John Daly used to sleep at a Hooters.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, that was a little different.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah, that's very different.

[Lane Kiffin]

It's not like he was, you know, working on chipping and Hooters.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

Short game.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah, you're right. That's a good point. So I don't know why I said that, but yeah. Yeah, people sleep at the office this.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah. I think John D. Still goes to Hooters for, like, John Daly two hour, like, signing special. I love J.D. by the way. He's awesome.

[Theo Vaughn]

We tell. No, we talk about him every single week. There he is right there, huh?

[Lane Kiffin]

Yes. Yeah.

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh, he's got a. He's got that two pack, right? Boy, he's off a couple honey packs right there. Look at him.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, that's right. That's where. I won't comment. Head coach. Okay, okay, okay. So anyway, so that's where this failure came in. Because it was like, okay, if you're going to put all. If this is the most important thing to you, then I, like, look back and shoot, no wonder, like, I ended up getting divorced. No wonder that, you know, I ended up having strained relationship with my kids. And then I kind of figured this out later on and started going, okay, wait, wait a second. This is just part of who I am, you know, being a coach. And then I started to work on the other areas of my life. Got sober from a lot of things, really. Just not just physical sober, like, stop drinking, but, like, emotionally sober, you know, like. And that's still a constant battle working on that, like, and things not making me go way up, way down, like, every day. But. And people say, okay, well, what do you do? You don't drink. Like, what do you do? Like, Thursday night. And I was like, what's replaced? That is, like, amazing. Like, going to dinner with Landry or watching a movie with her friends. Like, you know, like, you just. I just had this shift and it really helped me. And actually, I'm a better coach out of it. Which you wouldn't think would be, like. Because you think, okay, well, if you put everything into it, but then you lose balance and you're just kind of off and everything is so defined on a win or loss that, like, I remember, like, losing a really, really important game. And I remember at the time, like, seeing why she's like. And I'm like, I don't want to wake up. We actually lost usc. We lost to Texas. We were in our third straight national championship and lost in the Rose bowl national championship. Vince Young can tackle him. And I'm like, I don't want to wake up tomorrow. She said, what is wrong with you? We had one kid at the time, Landry, and she's like, you have a kid. Like, you have a whole life. Like, we lost the game. Third straight national championship. How. How long is it going to take to ever get there again.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

But I was just so out of whack on that because that's. I mentioned earlier that the ego had gotten so big when I became a head coach. And all the money and success and attention that, like, it just built and like, you got to keep feeding it. And so it's really been cool to. To get out of that spot.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah. What do you attribute to helping you get out of it?

[Lane Kiffin]

Probably lifestyle change. You know, I came to Mississippi and decided, like, okay, I started eating more to food, not working out, like, and I just was like, man, I'm not the best version of myself. I didn't have this, like, rock bottom moment, you know, that people have sometimes. I just was like, man, I don't really like this lower version of myself. I want to be the highest version of myself. So I changed my diet, I stopped the alcohol, I started working out. And really what I started to do is to pour into other people instead of just pouring into myself.

[Theo Vaughn]

Dang, coach, you're making me feel bad about my life, bro.

[Lane Kiffin]

You're younger than me. Used to get there. But it's a daily battle.

[Theo Vaughn]

It is, man. And especially that emotional sobriety. That's my biggest issue, dude.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah.

[Theo Vaughn]

I mean, my. I have a certain emotion and I get literally drunk off of it or high off of it or the other way I get depressed. It's like, it's like, those are like my drugs. A lot of times, any feeling that.

[Lane Kiffin]

I have, I'm still there. Like, I. That's a daily battle.

[Theo Vaughn]

God, boy.

[Lane Kiffin]

And I really got on this after the physical sobriety. After a couple years of, okay, well, okay, I got really healthy working out all the time. I don't drink, but it was like, okay. But I still was letting people. Situations, like, man, well, that went my way, so everything's good.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

You know, like, oh, that didn't go that way. We lose that recruit or have an argument with this person and like, everything's terrible. And I was like, man. And I had somebody tell me, like, just remember the tide goes in and out every day. Like it's going to. And like, do you just get freaked out by that? Or you're just like, hey, the tide came in, tide went out. And so I really try to do that because, like, I'll do the yoga, everything's good, man. And then I'll come in here and then this player has this issue, you know, or kid has this issue, you know, and then it's like, or this doesn't go this way. That Especially, like, if you're like me, which I feel like you are from your last answer. When somebody doesn't do what you want them to do. Like, wait, everything would be good, man. If he just wouldn't say that. Sorry.

[Theo Vaughn]

I don't believe this.

[Lane Kiffin]

If she does this, if he does that and they do that, I'll be good.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

Well, wait. They don't.

[Theo Vaughn]

And it never is going to happen. It's just total unrealistic expectations of what I have a lot of times.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah.

[Theo Vaughn]

And that's one of my biggest things is unrealistic expectations.

[Lane Kiffin]

Like expecting the tide not to come in.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yes. That's what it would be like everybody to do things. Exactly. I want to expect that people know how I want things done after I haven't shared how I want them done. That's my biggest thing. Like expecting somebody to know what I want them to do, but I've never even told them exactly what I want. Yeah, that's. And that's a crazy person with that way. So. Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

Or I did this I'm not doing. And then they don't deal. And then they don't. They don't act how I want them back after what I did. Yeah.

[Theo Vaughn]

Haven't I have it. Have you been having all that shared with you?

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah. Yeah. But there is a major problem that when you become. And you're in charge of company, your head coach, you know, like, and all the people are working for you, so your whole day, they really are doing what you want. And then now in your personal life, outside of it, maybe somebody doesn't do what you want and then you lose your mind. That's where I was off with the emotional part.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

You know, and had to, like, work on that part. Yeah.

[Theo Vaughn]

I can't imagine having to be a coach. It would be hard. I can't even coach myself. Oh, so you've really taken the Oxford coach. I noticed that your son is moving here. Right. Is that true?

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah. So, okay. My daughter goes to school here.

[Theo Vaughn]

Okay. And she's a sophomore.

[Lane Kiffin]

She's a sophomore.

[Theo Vaughn]

Okay.

[Lane Kiffin]

Another daughter's going to college at usc. And then my son is moving here. He's actually on his spring break here right now, and he's moving here next.

[Theo Vaughn]

Month and he's gonna go to Oxford High.

[Lane Kiffin]

He is nice.

[Theo Vaughn]

And he plays football, too, or.

[Lane Kiffin]

No, he does. Yeah. Yeah. He's. He's quarterback. He's got a chance to be good, so that'll be exciting to be able to watch all his games here. And he's always up Here, working out with his buddies, so.

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh, that's going to be great. Just to be around that much, that many other players and stuff.

[Lane Kiffin]

It's awesome. I was. My. My dad was a coach. I grew up as a coach's kid. That. To be around those locker rooms and to be around those players and to learn from them, it's. It's. It's so awesome and so motivating.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah. Do you have a good relationship with your dad? I know your dad was Monty, Kevin.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yep.

[Theo Vaughn]

And did you. Did you guys have a good relationship?

[Lane Kiffin]

Amazing. Oh, so he. He passed in July. And was he sick?

[Theo Vaughn]

Was he pretty sick at the end?

[Lane Kiffin]

He had dementia, and so he slowed down a lot. But here's what's really cool. You know, just saying, like, the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. Like, we probably have the pain of regret from things we weren't disciplined at in life. You know, if you look back, man, if I would have done that or, like, I would have gotten, you know, made different decisions. So now you have the pain of. The regret of that.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

Well, I think a lot of times people with parents sometimes, like, when they pass, you know, they have the pain of regret. Man, I wish I'd been around him more. I didn't go to see him. Well, my dad worked for me all the way up till then at 84. So all these last three stops, he was here in the building helping us coach.

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh, that's cool.

[Lane Kiffin]

So every day I would see him 15 times a day.

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh, yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

And he was such a coach that, like, even his doctors would say that was keeping him alive because he could come into the office every day. He's 84 years old with dementia still coming in the office.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

And he just was like, he was the ultimate coach, the old school coach. And so I got to be with him every day all the way up. So because of that, of bringing him to all the places, making sure he was at work every day and everything.

[Theo Vaughn]

Like that was here to miss.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah.

[Theo Vaughn]

Wow. Yeah. So if you don't come here, who knows if that even setup is even kind of perfect for that.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah. But that's. That's where I've gotten to, like, who. Who knows what's supposed to be perfect, what. What I thought, what we thought as our plan should be. I was, like, totally off.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

You know, like. Like, I've been like, there's no way I'm gonna, like, want to move to Oxford, Mississippi, have my kid go to college here, have my kid, Other kid go to high school. Here and love it, and. And now I do. And who would have thought they would have ever wanted to come here? Like, it's like, you know, God's plan obviously makes a lot more sense than ours, because every time I take that and I'm like, wait, maybe he wants it. Let me turn that over here my way. This is what I want to happen. Like, these people need to do this. I need to go here. I need to get that job.

[Theo Vaughn]

Let me control everything.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, yeah. And then. Then it just doesn't work. It really doesn't. And then when I just. Which is hard, when I just let go and just let it go, and whatever's going to happen is going to happen, and that tide's going to come in, it's going to go out. I'll just float along with it.

[Theo Vaughn]

The HOV lane, dude. What. Who caught that clipboard? Do you know?

[Lane Kiffin]

I don't know. They brought it back.

[Theo Vaughn]

They did?

[Lane Kiffin]

Yes. Mississippi. Nice.

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh, so sweet of them.

[Lane Kiffin]

Told you. The people here are amazing.

[Theo Vaughn]

God, that was great. There's nothing as good as.

[Lane Kiffin]

Because it's like, when the plays work, it's like a video game. For me. I feel like I'm playing a video game on the sideline. So think like, when you playing a video game, you score a big touch, you throw your controller. That's really what I'm doing. It's still the kid in me right there.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah.

[Lane Kiffin]

You know, like, throw my clipboard, like your controller out of the box.

[Theo Vaughn]

You've had a quite a life. You know, you start. You started kind of, you know, you didn't start, but you kind of came on a lot of people's radar in coaching at the highest level. Right. Step back into college football. You've been a player. You've, you know, you've had, like, you kind of a polarizing people would say, type figure, very unique in your own way. And I think after talking you more, I learn a little bit more about how you operate. So I can understand. But what is, like a message you would get? You know, you've had. You've been through divorce, you've been through. You have children. You've had a lot of just experiences in your life.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah.

[Theo Vaughn]

What for somebody out there who's getting into their middle age and is kind of struggling with having a setback or something? What is. What is something you think you would share with them from your experience or a thought or statement or.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, yeah. I think that, like, they can do it. Like, these things happen, you know, in life, these major obstacles that Seem so horrible at the time. A divorce, firings. Maybe you have a health scare. Like, these things that seem so terrible, and they're really not. They just feel like it in the moment and they're gonna pass and you're gonna actually look back later on and be glad for them. Like, my kind of major thing was I got fired as a head coach at usc and, like, my career is over. Well, that wouldn't happen. I wouldn't have gotten to work for Nick Saban for three years, you know, so, like, whatever those things are. Or.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah, your career's been over, like, four times.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah. That you can do it. And it's actually feels way better than, like, let's say you come out. Like, I came up and got a lot of breaks because my dad and stuff. And so it's like, okay, I got to the top. Okay. Well, that felt good. But then to actually have it torn down and all taken away, some by circumstances, some by your own decisions, and rebuild from the bottom, personally and professionally, it feels so much better. It's like instead of buying the house, you build the house from the beginning. And so just for people that are struggling in whatever one of those areas may be, like, you can do it, but don't get overwhelmed. Like, it really is one day at a time. Like, hey, just start working out today, you know, or stop drinking today, you know, or start being a better person today, whatever those areas are.

[Theo Vaughn]

Yeah, just today.

[Lane Kiffin]

Just today, man. Because other stuff's overwhelming. We don't know what's going to happen next week, let alone next month or next year, and just be really good at it today.

[Theo Vaughn]

Amen, man. I needed to hear that. Yeah. There's something I've been like. I just feel like kind of the world is in. Because something that's kind of like just work stuff, and I'm like, what do I do? But I just have to look at it as a challenge. Adjust the perspective.

[Lane Kiffin]

Zoom out. Yeah, zoom out. See? So watching my dad pass and the last couple years of dementia, but also watching him on what was important to him. He'd been a head coach, he'd been fired, he'd been through all these. It didn't matter. Like, what. Whatever that is right now that you're showing, you're going to look back toward him, like, what was I even, like, losing sleep for or having anxiety about that for? Yeah, it really ain't that big. If you zoom out to later on, you're going to look back, be like, man, that ain't. That wasn't a Big deal. I'm glad it happened.

[Theo Vaughn]

Hottie Toddy man. Kiffin, thanks so much, dude. I really appreciate it. I hope that you stay as entertaining as ever. And I'm glad that you're in the sec, man. It's one of the greatest conferences to watch and congratulations on what you guys have done here at Ole Miss, man. I want to thank my friend Scott Sackfield and Richie Hik, who helped me think up questions today to talk about as well because they went to school here and. Yeah, I'm looking forward to spending, having a good show here tonight.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah. Excited for your show tonight. We'll be there. And our whole team's coming, actually. Yeah, the whole team's coming.

[Theo Vaughn]

Oh, dude.

[Lane Kiffin]

Yeah, we told him in the team. We had a team meeting today and said we're going, we're going tonight. We're like, we got you in free. So like, yes, because we don't have any money. We're like, wait, you make like a million dollars? Like these guys know, but they still, they still just want something for free. Yeah, we told me you're really funny and freak. Something to know you are.

[Theo Vaughn]

At the end, there's still college students. You just want something for free, you know. Lane, Kiffin, thanks so much.

[Lane Kiffin]

All right, man.

[Theo Vaughn]

Now I'm just floating on the breeze and I feel I'm falling like these leaves I must be cornerstone.

[Lane Kiffin]

Oh, but.

[Theo Vaughn]

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