Social media has had a divine impact on sports and college athletics in particular. Before NIL and social media, recruits made decisions based solely on connections, future outlook, and resources. Now, college programs can sway recruits with fancy social media posts and cash via boosters. It’s been a revelation, and some coaches are better at it than others. Enter Lane Kiffin, who might be the most technologically competent head coach in college football, and with rumors of his departure to Auburn looming, the 47-year-old decided to have a little fun on Twitter.
It all started on Tuesday evening when a local Mississippi reporter named Jon Sokoloff tweeted BREAKING news that Kiffin would step down as head coach of Ole Miss to become the next coach of Auburn, and the announcement would be happening Friday following the Egg Bowl.
BREAKING: #OleMiss HC Lane Kiffin plans to step down as the Rebels coach Friday and head to Auburn to become the Tigers next head coach, according to sources
Sources say the Tigers haven’t officially offered the job to anyone yet.
So Lane to Auburn is happening. Story soon.
— Jon Sokoloff (@JonSokoloff) November 22, 2022
No one with merit corroborated the report, but the tweet blew up because of how believable the news seemed. The eccentric Ole Miss head coach has been mentioned as Auburn’s No. 1 choice. And when rumors like that start to circulate, coaches get paid one way or the other. Still, they were just rumors, and Kiffin reminded the world of that at the expense of our poor friend Jon Sokoloff.
https://twitter.com/Lane_Kiffin/status/1594870642595201024?s=20&t=Dv17lYHsbIxrI19CjwDsrg
The jabs didn’t stop there, either. Kiffin took it a step further by breaking some news of his own.
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) November 22, 2022
With the Egg Bowl on the horizon, the two programs in Mississippi have no love for one another. Folks in Starkville would love nothing more than for these reports to be accurate and to see their greatest rival lose its coach to another SEC West program. The Rebs would love nothing more than to pummel the Bulldogs, finish the season with a bowl victory, and have back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time in more than 60 years.
The reports seem closer to rumors than anything, but Auburn has no problem swinging big when hiring coaches. The Tigers are one of the best programs in the country, and the right head coach could quickly propel Auburn back to the top of the Southeastern Conference. Lane Kiffin just might not be their guy.
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Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire
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