This Past Weekend - #575 - Lane Kiffin

Episode Date: April 16, 2025

Lane Kiffin is heading into his fifth season as Head Football Coach at the University of Mississippi. He has led the Rebels to four consecutive bowl berths, including two New Year’s Six appearances, under his guidance since 2020. Theo joins Coach Kiffin in his office in Oxford, MS to talk about his somewhat polarizing reputation in the world of college football, how much SEC football means to people, and secrets from his legendary coaches group chat.  Lane Kiffin: https://www.instagram.com/thereallanekiffin/ ------------------------------------------------ Tour Dates! https://theovon.com/tour New Merch: https://www.theovonstore.com ------------------------------------------------- Sponsored By: Celsius: Go to the Celsius Amazon store to check out all of their flavors. #CELSIUSBrandPartner #CELSIUSLiveFit https://amzn.to/3HbAtPJ DraftKings: Download the DraftKings Pick Six app NOW and use code THEO for new customers to play $5, get $50 in Pick Six credits. Better payouts. Bigger wins. Only with Pick6 from DraftKings. The Crown is yours.  https://draftkings.com  Sonic: Head to SONIC to try the Double SONIC Smasher for just one dollar, starting April 21st, when you order in the SONIC app. LIVE FREE, EAT SONIC. Tax not included. While supplies last. www.sonicdrivein.com/deals Liquid IV: Go to http://liquidiv.com and use code THEO to get 20% off your first order.  Acorns: Go to http://acorns.com/theo to get your $20 bonus investment today.  ------------------------------------------------- Gambling Problem? Call one eight hundred gambler. Help is available for problem gambling. Call eight eight eight seven eight nine seven seven seven seven, or visit c c p g dot org in Connecticut. Must be eighteen plus, age and eligibility restrictions vary by jurisdiction. Pick6 not available everywhere, including New York and Ontario. Void where prohibited. One per new customer. Bonus awarded as non-withdrawable Pick Six Credits that expire in fourteen days. Limited time offer. See terms at pick six dot draftkings dot com slash promos. ------------------------------------------------- Music: “Shine” by Bishop Gunn Bishop Gunn - Shine ------------------------------------------------ Submit your funny videos, TikToks, questions and topics you'd like to hear on the podcast to: [e-mail] Hit the Hotline: [phone] Video Hotline for Theo Upload here: https://www.theovon.com/fan-upload Send mail to: This Past Weekend 1906 Glen Echo Rd PO Box #159359 Nashville, TN 37215 ------------------------------------------------ Find Theo: Website: https://theovon.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/theovon Facebook: https://facebook.com/theovon Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thispastweekend Twitter: https://twitter.com/theovon YouTube: https://youtube.com/theovon Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheoVonClips Shorts Channel: https://bit.ly/3ClUj8z ------------------------------------------------ Producer: Zach https://www.instagram.com/zachdpowers Producer: Trevyn https://www.instagram.com/trevyn.s/  Producer: Nick https://www.instagram.com/realnickdavis/ Producer: Colin https://instagram.com/colin_reiner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guest is the head coach at Ole Miss down in Oxford, Mississippi, which is where we are taping today. He's helped take that program to new heights in the past five years. He's got his own group of fans called the Laniacs. And it was great talking to him about his mentality on life, coaching, and leadership. Today's guest is the one, the only, Lane Kiffin. Yeah, bro, so you. invited, did you invite me to Pilates or you invite me to yoga, which one? Yoga.

Okay. Very big difference. Yeah. My daughter's actually a Pilates teacher, but yoga's like better, like the hot yoga part of it. Yeah. Intensity, like make it so, so miserable. You know, that's what I do. I control the heat in the back.

You do? Yeah. At the yoga studio? Yeah. Oh, that's great, man. Yeah, does it remind you almost of game day out there on the field? Like, as it gets pretty, I mean, you're in the SEC, so it's really, this is really humid area. Yeah.

So I make it that way, too, like that we're playing. like in the swamp or in Baton Rouge like in our early September game. So it's like really hot. So you get to like fight through it. Yeah. Yeah. Baton ratchet. Dude.

That's what I call it. Yeah. I was trying 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 get my yoga in this morning though. Yeah.

A little slower. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I got it in at room temp. This isn't like traditional yoga like flow, which that's good. Uh-huh. And that's actually where I started with it.

Then I was like, I got to 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 it and then they struggle. So it makes me feel good about myself. Oh, I see. Yeah, that's part of it. Yeah, that was me just a couple hours ago getting it done with my Cat Williams statue right there.

I didn't know what that was, like Nutcracker or something. Oh, yeah. 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 you're week? 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 got to like, you got to get uncomfortable. Yeah. You got to sit in it. So I figure if I can start my day, usually at like 6 o'clock 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. Yeah. 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. Right. I've got to stay in the discomfort.

And over time, just I'm able to stand 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. And what, so the heat's been ramped up, what's the next thing you think you would add in to to Lane Kiff and, like the Lane Kiffin yoga experience, which almost seems like people should wear pads to be at it. It seems like, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Well, we have playlist. 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 different like three by 10, three 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, I feel like. Civilians. Yeah. I'm trying to take Oxford to another level. So I'm like I want for generations it to be tough. Yeah. And so sometimes they're like, well, open the. door, you know, I'm like, don't open the door, man.

We're like, keep them in the heat. Yeah, hold the line. Yeah. So then at the end, like, I'm like, guess what? We need overtime. Like last week, I'm like, it's March madness. We need overtime. And everything's like, no, no overtime. No overtime coach. And I'm like, kick the field goal coach. We got to get out of here. Yeah, we're making these kids tougher. Dang. I can't believe. The fact that somebody's trying to start generational yoga is, uh,

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? Yeah, I would say very different. Yeah.

I looked at social media when I started was for recruiting because we weren't able to text like it was a dumb NCAA rule like most of them. And you couldn't text them. Could you mail? Yeah, you could, you could DM them. You could, on Twitter, you can message them. You can message them. On Twitter, but you couldn't text them personally. 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 it. Yeah, 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, 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. I'm 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 that.

Yeah. I mean, look, you're the only college coach that we 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. I feel like I've made it then. Well, no. college coach that Theo Vaughn wants to do a show with.

You don't lose your job by this time this is over then. That's the goal. That's the goal. Yeah, to keep you. 55 more minutes. Yeah, 55 more minutes. That's the goal. Is there a difference between the kind of the Twitter lane and I'm the one saying putting you in a third person?

I know you're not doing that. But is there a difference between the kind of the Twitter personality and the personality of the actual personality? Like, what's kind of like offline lane? 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.

Yeah. So I feel like Twitter is more actually how I am just kind of, okay, that's funny. I also 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 probably be some coaches that even if they, if you did calm up for this, they wouldn't do it because it's okay, well, that's not really the message I want to, put out, you know? Yeah. Kim Mulkey won't text me back. I mean, that should be like a no-brainer.

That's what I'm thinking in-state. I mean, you got to have amazing like Louisiana following positive numbers. I don't know how they tracked that, but it's got to be amazing. I mean, you're one of them. Yeah, I'm not at the flousy Johnson levels yet. I'll get there, though, I think. So 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.

As a head coach, you've 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 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 are 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.

Blatently. 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. Yeah, you have one fan base. Yeah, they're not, they didn't hire me. They're not paying the bills. So I've always looked at it.

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. Do you, you already had two experiences like coaching in the SEC, right, at Alabama and at Tennessee? Yep.

Like, how has it been different here at Ole Miss? Because, I mean, you know, some people call it the Yale of Mississippi, kind of. Well, I think, you know, I was, as you mentioned, head coached Tennessee, then office coordinator at 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 Saving, probably a, you know, a decade there that's never going to be done ever again. Yeah.

Too many wins, I think, for a school. Not good for them at a certain point, but we're not good for a competitive environment throughout the conference when he was taking all the players and winning all the games now. And Old Miss had been down. Right. You know, somebody set 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 suite 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. Wow. So there's been four in 55 years. They've seen three of the four. So the difference, obviously, 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 won and then you win. It's like, okay, versus, wow,

let's like change what's happen. 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 in the program. And so we've raised the expectations to where we won 10 games and people are upset around here, you know. Right. Yeah, that's a different energy. 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, it's pretty crazy. 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.

What's kind of different between coaching, like, in the PAC 10, or I think it's the PAC 12 or something now, but it keeps kind of like changing their names. But I don't think it exists anymore. It's like Pac-2 now. Yeah, Pact 2. Yeah, it was like, it was 8 at one point. Was it?

And it was 10? And it was 12. And some of those teams should not have been in there. And now there's like two. Okay. Everybody else left. What was it? Like, what do you notice different between coaching and like the PAC, like a different conference as opposed to the SEC? Like, yeah.

You coached at FAU. You coached at, um, you coached in the PAC 10, 2, 12, 8. You know? What's the difference you think? Yeah. Um, 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 playover 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. Oh, yeah. And 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. Yeah.

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

I was the head coach of USC. You spend time out in L.A. 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. I mean, they're going to school at USC, you know, getting their education. Yeah. And like here, did that like, like 100% know who you are? You know, like the little kids, like the, you know, you go to like walk downtown and like a four-year-old's like, Coach Kiffin. Like, they know who you are. So it's like.

They'll complain about your play. For people that haven't been down here, maybe that makes sense to them like to understand that. You know, like, you don't go anywhere without any, everybody. knowing who you are, but also like that too. You know, kid will be like, yeah. Yeah, they're like eight year old kid, maybe not four. They just say, go to hell, Kevin. But eight year old, well, we've been winning.

They 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 know that? Yeah, it's 11 a. 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. Yeah, they're like, like coach, you're three for 14 on third downs. I'm like, I don't even know that. Yeah. They do.

But it's just, it just means more the passion for it. 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. I love that. Yeah, because you guys have a walk. I mean, I think a couple of teams do a walk now.

Do people ever try and tickle you or whatever when you walk by? that's crazy. That's something. Well, I, like, moved. 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. And, like, well, this walk is, like, a half mile. Like, you're walking through, like, 40,000 people. Yeah. 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 barricades a little,

Like a little. Yeah. Like a little wider. Plus, I mean, we are in the deep south. So there's a lot of great things. But I mean,

there's just some different things too now. You know, they're like grabbing you and they got chew spit on her hand and stuff. Yeah. I've never plugged a man. People just yelling stuff. Yeah, there's a lot of it's like,

well, can we 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. 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, I mean, it is Mississippi is the, it's a, it is like wandering back through time, you know. Yeah.

There's a lot there. Yeah. I can unpack there. Yeah. I mean, it's a lot of history. A lot of tradition. And everything you're going to mean,

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 right 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 um and at first it was a lot because because I'd spent most of my time before that in south Florida or in L.A. at USC and I was like at first I was like who this is a lot like I mean long wind like a lot of conversations, slow moving.

Oh, yeah. But then you say thank you. Like, it's not over. Right. Hey, thank you. And then like, they just keep going. Yeah. Oh, yeah.

I'm like, no, really thank you. I really appreciate it. Like, I'm going to go to go now. Oh, well, what are you? So what are you doing tomorrow? I just met you like, you know, like. Oh, yeah. You can make everybody's a friend.

And there's also so many famous authors of that. That's why, The South is so full of famous storytellers because everybody is one, you know. 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 L.A. 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 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 on to something here. Maybe the slowdown thing that I was judging at first. Like I made jokes about the rocking chairs. Like people sit in rocking chairs. Yeah.

And I'm like at first. Like Charlotte Airport or whatever. whatever. I saw that. Yeah, I did when I was, and I was like, you'll see somebody has a 40 second layer and they're like, I'm going to get a little rest in. Yeah. And I'm like, I actually saw some right away and people were in them. And I said to somewhere right way, I'm like, what are they doing? That looks miserable. Like, that's so slow. And there's just two of them. Sometimes one. Like, what are you doing? Well, they didn't even have their phone out. Like, what do you? And now I'm like, hey, they're on to something. Yeah. Just slow down. And so.

I've kind of said, hey, maybe there's something to the Mississippi lane? Mm-hmm. I just slow down, taking conversations, listen to people instead of just always talking and moving. Mm-hmm. And, and I love it. 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 overunders for, you know, foreign exchange students. 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 filling the vibes, you know. So.

I have some cool, a couple of cool things happen like that where I was with Landry, my daughter at this. With Landry? Yes. At Jinsei, the sushi restaurant. Mm-hmm. And I'm at a restaurant with her in this, this kid comes up and senior in college. And she goes, she.

And like the South, because women know the football just as much as the men. Oh, yeah. 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 old 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. 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. 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 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 when 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's a really cool thing about turning programs around and being in those locker rooms. To see that happen? Yes, to see their appreciation for that.

Again, where if you're just coming in and places on top and they're just winning and they're just winning again, they just expect it. And so they're not as appreciative of those moments because they haven't had it taken away. Right. you're on a pretty famous text chain with like other SEC coaches this is alleged yeah um Kirby smart sarkeesian what are the vibes on the chain i feel like like what is it like on there 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 beat him, it means you, when you guys beat Georgia last year. But go on. I feel it. But then I just say something that night. Right. You know, like, hey, man, like, you'll probably get us next year.

You know, like, they don't like, they don't like, they don't think that's funny. You know, like, then one of them side texts 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. Do you guys vote on how another coach gets into the text chain? What is the?

Yeah. There's been conversations about that. Really? 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 got somebody who does something. And then I love, I move them out of the chat.

No. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's happened, you know. Jimbo Fisher removed from chat. RIP. And then I like put them back in.

Yeah. But and just put them on the bench. And they're like typical coaches. They don't know how to remove somebody or add somebody. Oh yeah. So it's like pretty cool that I can do it. And they're like, how do you do that?

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Coaches are a little behind. That's a big deal to be able to remove somebody from chat. Like, whoa,

he must really like have somebody teaching him this stuff. Who is, who's the most mysterious SEC coach to you, do you think? 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 SCC. Oh yeah. He cuts his own hair. It looks like it. Yeah, it definitely. He really does? I'm totally putting that in the chat. Oh, I don't know.

It definitely looks like somebody ran a slant with some scissors across his forehead. Yeah, like a bull. Oh, it's unbelievable. And here's the thing. And he shows the same haircut from me. He was like playing. It's like it never changed.

And it's a children's bowl. Get an adult bowl. What kind of dish where are you guys using at the salon? No, and actually beautiful man there too. I wanted to say that, Kirby. But oh, there you go. But yeah, like, well, Brian Kelly, they also put him on that lazy sues. Remember when he first came in?

It's like, and that's a tough fan. I retweeted that. You what? I retweeted that like when he did that thing. Yeah, he was with a quarter. It was terrible. Look at that. I thought this was for a strip club, to be honest with you.

I thought this was for a problem. Yeah, I think I wrote something like, do you actually know they're filming you? Like, did you put this out on purpose? Like, you know they're going to film you when you're doing this? I thought this was a gender reveal. And I was like, well, what are we, what is it? Yeah. And it's not like his first one.

He did it like the year before. I'm like, do you realize you're like kind of grinding on the dude? 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. No, I don't think so. And he's a nice guy. You're like at Notre Dame. Right. You're at Notre Dame. And then you're like, LSU.

I know. I mean. I know. I mean, you went from heaven to. Yeah, that's just like, that's as big a change as you can have South Bend to Baton Rouge. Oh, yeah. And the SEC.

And so. Oh, yeah, dude. South Bend just down there into the Mr. Weatherall belt. Yeah, I think that's about, I don't think they make a bigger change in that. Ready to win some real cash during the basketball playoffs?

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Live free, eat Sonic. Tax not included while supplies last. The SEC has historic venues, right? And a lot of historic, a lot of like, one thing that's interesting about the SEC is you'll have people that didn't go to college, but they will show up at the games as if it's their school. And that doesn't happen like in as many other places. It just does not happen. Yeah. 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 conferences. So that totally happens. And 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 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 are 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. 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, 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. No.

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

No, sir. To Alabama. No, so. 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. lose that like Alabama Tennessee game.

Yes, sir. That's it. Yes, sir. But it doesn't impact you like your job. Do you work for it? No. I don't work, sir. But I cheer for the tide. I mean, they got that one guy that, uh, roll tide Willie now. And he's, uh, he was in the military with my dad's buddy. But, um, what is what, what's your favorite place to play? Do you think in the SEC outside of all Hemingway? Well, I don't know about favorite, because favorite would be like anarchal, right? It's anarcho for you guys. Yeah, you know, like favorite might be.

Some are really easy. Like, no, the most intense places. Yeah, or just which one of you get out there and you're like, man, this is freaking majestic. How about that? Let's use that word. 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, yeah. Like, yeah, you're educated.

Majestic. M.U.A. Majestic place. Yeah, what's a big. Neeland Stadium in Tennessee is, 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 o'm miss we went to play at tennessee and it was like on from warm-ups

like everyone was there over 100,000 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 them yeah and then it like and it's probably 12,000 people are carrying weapons in there at that time they had a real conversation with me during the week about bulletproof best like but again like there's no way guys come on man it's football and they're like they're like three cops with me and everything like yeah like it's dear season sir they didn't 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're walking in and i was like this is awesome yeah yeah

Yeah. Like now I could feel. Ooh. Yeah, they were like chanting like, you know, like, fuck Lane, Kevin. Yeah. That was actually like felt kind of like intense and cool, like 100,000 people chaining that. Oh, yeah. If a bunch of people hate you at once, it's easier to go.

It's easier to digest. 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 then. And then we won. He just won. Yeah. And then they got pissed and they like threw things at me like golf ball. Oh, yeah. And like anything they could get like mustard.

School books, which we need in Tennessee, first of all. They didn't, they didn't have school books. Oh, okay. No. Mustard bottles. Oh, really? Like, how do you even have a mustard bottle? Like, you just brought that to the game?

Like, hey, hey, hon, we're going to, like, go to the game and sneak the mustard bottle in. Oh, you're in the damn condiment belt over there. Isn't mustard free? Like, are you saving money? Oh, you should see where they keep their relish at, brother. And the golf, like, and I was like, they throw this golf ball to become famous that, like, they throw at me. And I'm like, afterwards, I'm like, okay, mustard, like, okay, what am I sneaking in to the game? A golf, like, what do you have a golf ball?

Like I'm carrying a golf ball because I don't think they're thinking I'm going to throw it like I'm going to be pissed off in the fourth quarter to throw it. Right. They just had it on them. 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 had like have these to hit like, you know, instead of like having to buy a golf ball. So I'm to steal the range ball like for next time I go and play around. So it was just in his pocket. That was my guess. I think that's probably accurate. Oh, there you are. I can with it. Oh, that's pretty cool. Yeah. Did you keep that? Yeah. You still have it? I did. 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? That one was. Yeah. 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 that, like, that win that you just like ruined 100,000 people's like, especially in the SEC, like, weak on this day. 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. And now she's got to hold it another week. That's the toughest part. Okay, we can not have, we lost this week. Yeah, we ain't having a baby under these circumstances. You keep it in there. Yeah, yeah.

Hold the line, honey. We got Bama next week. We win that. You can have a Saturday night. We'll get that thing out. We'll do the push 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 chunk of them out there. Well, this is like a big tradition, like as far as everywhere, not specific places. Like I love the band thing. You know, before? Like, it's just really cool when they had 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 that you're like right there. And then like the band just opens up the tea and you run out. Like that's a really cool tradition. And is there one that's kind of aggravating that you see at a place somewhere? It could be SEC or anywhere. 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 goalpost down because that's the school and stuff. Yeah. Yeah, I was 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 one after the next. Just the biggest guys you ever even seen just hugging you. Yeah, they're all excited. Yeah, and it was just, oh, dude.

That was a really tough day. It was a tough year, actually. That took about eight weeks to get better from. Yeah, but you were at a historic, like, moment. It was so cool. That will probably never happen ever again. I don't know. It was a once in a lifetime.

Well, Diego Pavia got that six year, that eighth year, I think he got. Yeah, 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? We tried. We didn't win it. Jackstar actually tried to get another year, or at least see if the option was there. And, you know, they denied it. Dang.

Yeah, there we are. We iced that dude up. Clark Lee. Good dude. I like Clark. Yeah. He is. Cool, good guy. They got a fun group over there.

And that's kind of an 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. I do. Yeah, Vanderbilt. Because 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 stadiums usually half full and stuff. So I root for them, especially Clark, because that's a hard job. Yeah. And so that's, that's pretty cool for them to win like they did this year. 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. I didn't know that.

And they try to valet them at a restaurant. I'm like, you can't, who are you going to give it to those three guys up front or whatever? Like, that's crazy. Yeah, but that might be the only like SEC town that has valet. That's a good. That's, like when you say that,

that doesn't feel. They don't know valet in most East town in ballet. That's a great point. It's a spell valet. Yeah. Yeah, they tried to valet. I'm at a, I think at a McCormick and Schmix or something over there.

So definitely kind of interesting. I want to talk about Coach Sabin. You worked with Coach Sabin for a while. And I mean, you guys are, have had kind of a storied history. Yep. Over the years, I think. Have you, do you guys still communicate?

Yeah. Yeah, we do. He's not a big, like, text guy. But we talk every once in a while. Is he, what is he? He's not text. He's like to write. Is he more written, kind of, or?

No, you got to call him. Okay. He did just learn how in the last, like, two years, two texts. He had never texts before. Wow. Ever. Like, when I was assistant coach Sarah, and he's just like, I'm not texting.

Like you 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 two 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, Manor Belt beating Alabama. Like, this isn't supposed to happen. Never thought I'd see this day. And then Kirby's like, yeah, I got one or another 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

get out of the house. Yeah. And then you're like dang man he he was on to something. He was right on those things. So I look back as I was there for three years and there was friction initially and I look back to those all my phone. I'm the assistant. You know what I mean? Yeah. He's the head coach. You know, whatever he says goes.

Yeah, you're supposed to keep it classy over there. 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 work for Pete Carroll as assistants. That's all I knew. And it's just totally different. So, like, you come in and you have an open conversation, then you're questioning the process.

No, I just was asking, like, you. I 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. Like, he didn't want a lot of suggestions. no, no, no, no. It's not like a suggestion box. Like, hey, let me pull this. Oh, here, here's a good idea.

You know, like, so it was, um, 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 in apparent way, like with his team, with the players, the coaches, like nothing, nothing changed. We won a national championship and there's 730 staffing the next morning. I'm like, what are we meeting on it? 7.30 the next morning.

He's like, we're behind. You know, because we won the championship, everybody else was recruiting or we're behind. And I was like, well, 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 it took me some time to understand too. Like when you, when we were winning 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've made it. And I didn't really understand that. Would he call it that? Relief syndrome? I saw he was on the pivot like a month ago and I listened to it. My son Knox and he talked about it in there. He'd never explained it to us, but it was interesting here. And 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 and make sure people didn't have that. Like, we'd win a game. And then he comes in and just like rips us. Yeah. And we're like, man, we played great.

Like coach great. that was because he was guarding against that because he knew that that could happen. Dang. Yeah. Who wasn't letting anything be a possibility to lose? 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 going to 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, there's a reason he's the greatest.

Wow. Yeah, do you regard him as the greatest? 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 it in 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 like evening things out that people can't stack the teams like he did. Because now your second team and third teams, maybe before, where they had to sit there and wait, they couldn't leave back then.

now they leave. So you lose your backups because someone gives them more money. But how was he able to convince players to sit there be just as good and sit second or third position? That's tough, I feel like. Yeah. Well, that's what I'm saying. Part of his time, they couldn't leave yet. Oh, you couldn't transfer.

Now you can transfer 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. Did he have to recruit the whole time or at a certain point did the acumen of their coach of their winning just to be the recruiter for him, do you think? That helped a lot, but he never changed. That was him. Like there was no relief. It never changed. Like, he recruited every day, no matter what. And he was nonstop. And he's relentless. People always say, okay, well, why did he win so many championships? Why was he so good? And I was like, well, there's the process. There's the assistant coaches. There's the discipline, all these different areas in. Right. But really, the number one thing

that mattered the most, he out recruited people. He got better players. When you get better players, you win a lot of games. It wasn't, it wouldn't just come in there just to come there. They came there because he recruited really hard. Got it. Did he, what was he like, I mean, did you ever get to spend any time with them? 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? Coach didn't do a lot of other things. I didn't know he golfed. I never golfed with him. but he golfed. Did he ever invite you?

Did he ever dress up for Halloween? Like, was there anything you ever saw Coach Sabin do 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? Iron that was outside of Iron Man, you know? It's interesting. You know, Nick Saban, and people would joke Nick Satan,

you know, he was born on Halloween. Was he really? It was birthday every year's Halloween. No. Yeah. So maybe his whole, freaking existence was a costume. 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, he didn't have like Halloween parties on your own birthday. Even put on a little cat tail or something. Because it was no day was different.

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

And he invited us over. And we went over there. And he was different. Now 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 grand kid 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 grand kid was like won and all of a sudden the grand kid found the golden egg you know like while he was with coach way over there you know so coach also was going to make sure daddy won yeah um but it was pretty cool to see him like that 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 of kids like of age children Yeah, mine were like eight, 10, and 12. Oh, God. That's sad. But yeah, winners win, you know, that's what they say. Do you think that Coach Saban misses coaching? 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 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 to all day. long to do something for his entire life. Now 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, his 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. What, I want to talk about the NIL and then I want to talk about your team in, uh, and old miss here. Does, God, I sound like a sports guy or something. Yeah. Yeah, you're getting really like, I know. I feel like going into this, I was going to, we're going to go a lot of different directions. And now you've come back to like, I think people will probably have turned off by now. I know. I feel like, oh, dude, hey, tell us about your depth at safety this year.

Yeah. Yeah. How do you guys feel about third down package? Nobody wants to hear that. I don't know. My first down package is pretty small. I'll tell you that. That's an old. weiner joke. Here we go. Now we're more. There we go. Yes, they're turning back on. I want to tell you about the, like, NIL, do you have to spend more time recruiting players

or boosters these days with NIL? Yeah. A lot of booster part because they got to get the resources to pay. 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 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 major programs that have a lot of financial resources. So, yeah, you got to do a lot of that. And then you've 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, that's not as important anymore because now I'm like, okay, well, what are you paying me? You know, this school is this, this school is this, this.

And most of them usually go to the higher number. And is that just a real question out of the gate is what is the offer? Yeah. Wow. And do most of them have agents or they have to do that directly by themselves? Yeah, they now, it's now just transitioned to where most of them agents now. That's trash. 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 your guys are. And the parents and I solicitor staff the other day. Like I've sat in so many of these meetings like whatever say the last hundred. And do you know I never hear anymore what's your graduation, right? I never hear any more like what's the academic plan. And it's just kind of sad. These are the parents. She does what it is. And then I go, okay, well, when's there an I'll 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. You just recognize it. And I'm also recognizing it to say, I don't believe long term, that's good for the kids. So 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 already getting the money when I'm 18, then what? Right. 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 at

and they want to know the money. So what's the kid's supposed to want to know? Yeah, it's crazy. I agree. That's bonkers, dude. Yeah, if I'd have had some money, I'd have fucking left school the second you gave me that chat.

I'd have driven across country and got me some damn dope, boy. 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. I get money, man, all my problems. Then I'll be good. Okay. Let's see.

We'll see. And 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 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. The more problems. Yeah. Yeah. That's what they said. Jay-Z said it, didn't he? Biggie. 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 purpose. bags it came in and I'd put all my money in there and save it. Today's episode is sponsored by

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Get 20% off your first order of Liquid IV when you go to Liquidiv.com and use code Theo at checkout. That's 20% off your first order with code T-H-E-O at Liquidiv.com. What's one of the biggest things that keeps players that are good players from succeeding do you find? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Their minds. Yeah? 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 to. 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. They want to get the money. Well, I'm getting the money already. So now that's now I've lost some drive there. Right. 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 going to last forever. Yeah. And they just like, they just screwed up. So they get in their own ways. Dang. And it's usually that one word ego. What's the craziest thing of players ever asked you for to say point blank? Have they ever been like, I need to give me a jaguar coach or something like that,

like the animal or the car? Not the animal. 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 in 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 her to come around high school. And then they come in like, okay, well, I need more. And they're like, well, do you didn't do anything?

Like, you even have a good year. Well, why would you get more? Like, it's just that mindset of like, I just deserve more. Like, I deserve more and more because there's no, there's no appreciation in there for where they're at. Or like, man, I got to 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 didn't done anything. Yeah. 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. There's the parents. Now you got agents. Like, do you still feel like a coach? Do you feel like a banker more? Mm. Mm.

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 Sabin and, you know, getting out. It's just like, it just changed, you know, because these conversations and these things and you see the, like, read 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 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 of, but it's like they don't. You can't hear it. Yes. His can't hear it. Cannot. I can sit in these two chairs right here to some, most of them, some will, but most of them. And they just look at me and like, there's no one. And 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 with it. I'm like that that money, that new contract, that next car, that next girl, like that's not going to fix that.

And I'm 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 shit. Trust me. Yeah, they say it's all a wrap. Yeah.

Everybody thinks they'll have to figure it out. I get more bands. It's good. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Boy, give me a grand right now. That's all I need.

I run a 50 right now. I run a 6150. How fast is that? 6.150. We don't really grade you. You mean 40? I don't know. That's good.

You confuse people. It might be good. It might be bad. I don't know what. I don't know if you're slower fast. 6.150. So what is some of your push for players to come here to Ole Miss? He's like, what is it, you know, what do you sell them on about being here?

Yeah, this is a really cool place to go to school. And so I got to see that as a parent. My daughter, Landry, is a sophomore here. Oh, yeah, I seen her on TikTok before. I seen you all on there doing makeup or whatever. 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. Yeah. You know? Like I just try to have joy. And I'm like again, back to a lot of people. Like you're supposed to be old. He's supposed to be an adult. Like you can't do like a makeup TikTok with your daughter.

And I'm like, I don't want to be gone someday. I'm going to be dead or I'm going to be at the end of it. You know, those last couple years, you think I'm going to be like, man, I wish I wouldn't have been like, yeah.

I think I'm going to be like, man, I wish I wouldn't have done that with my daughter because some fans think that's like I'm soft. Yeah, dude. I think a lot of all. Also a lot of, I bet four of the first round picks this year will be wearing blush. Like now they're wearing like nail polish and stuff.

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 Nickel 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. But that's just kind of like how, like I. And I don't know.

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 and 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.

Yeah. 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 back, like talking shit celebrating over you. Like, if that happens in the morning, you might crush it in the morning. I don't know. I mean, look, I don't want to have to do yugo or have to wear cleats is the only thing that I'm thinking. There's no cleats. Okay.

No cleats. No socks even. But 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's 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 come here to Ole Miss? Because it's always been a little bit more of the underdog in the SEC. 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. Yeah, the GM had a damn Zen in, I think. Yeah, yeah, he does. He's working on it.

Yeah. He's trying to quit. He's trying to quit some other things. Yeah, he's, he's, we've all been through things. I've been there done that. Yeah. 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. 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 don't want to work. You know, they 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 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. 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 yeah i think like a lot of questions i answer them differently now than i did five 10 15 years ago um i think you know as i look at 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 happened to me or self-inflicted stuff. Oh, yeah. That like I struggled for a long time. But then as I like now see like I get to help like because the coach knows my story or players and they come in and 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'm 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 ooh we'd win so then like the LA time Sunday morning man coach lane kiffin you know like and like and like and like like, what do you want? And I remember I'm asking me like, what do you want someday? I'm like a statue like Nick Saber. Because then I made it. Like they built a statue of them 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 it,

it controlled everything. I just slept at the office all week long because we had to win. That's all that matters. And like John Daly used to sleep at a Hooters. Yeah, that's a little different. Yeah, that's true.

Yeah, he didn't work there. It's not like he was, you know, working on chipping at Hooters. Yeah, that's a short game. Yeah, that's a good point. So I don't know why I said that. But yeah, yeah, people sleep at the office. Yeah.

I think John Dealey still goes to Hooters for like John Daily two hour like signing special. I love JD by the way. Oh, of course, dude. He's awesome. We tell, no, we talk about him every single week. There he is right there. Yes. Yeah.

Oh, he's got a, he's got that two pat. Right. Boy, he's off a couple of honey packs right there. Look at him. Yeah, that's where I won't comment. Head coach. 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 straining relationship with my kids. And then I kind of figured this out later on and started going, okay, wait, 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 in my life. Um, got sober from a lot of things, really. Um, just not just physical sober, like stop drinking, but like emotionally sober, you know, like, and that's still a constant battle, like, 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? 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, oh, 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 winner loss that, like, it's everything. I remember, like, losing a really, really important game. And I remember at a time, like, saying 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. I'm lost in the Rose Bowl, National Championship. Vince Young couldn't 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 long is it going to take to ever get there again? Yeah. 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 get out of that spot. Yeah. And what do you attribute to helping you get out of it 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. Dang, coach, you're making me feel bad about my life, bro. You're younger to me. You used to get there. It's a daily battle. It is, man. And especially that emotional sobriety.

That's my biggest issue, dude. I mean, I have a certain emotion and I get literally drunk off of it or hot off of it or the other way I get depressed. It's like those are like my drugs a lot of times. Any feeling that I have? I'm still there. Like that's a daily battle.

God boy. And I really got on this effort of the physical sobriad after a couple years of, okay, well, okay, I got really healthy working out all the time and 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.

Yeah. You know, like, oh, that didn't go. out 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, 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 just like, hey, 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 a kid has this issue. you know, and then it's like, or this doesn't go this way.

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, and I'll believe this. If she does this, if he does that and they do that, I'll be good. Yeah. Well, wait, they don't.

And it never is going to happen. It's just total unrealistic expectations of what I have a lot of times. Yeah. And that's one of my biggest thing is unrealistic expectations. Like expecting the tide not to come in. 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. And that's a crazy person would think that way. So yeah. Or I did this. I'm not doing good.

And then they don't act how I want them back after what I did. Yeah. Have you been having all that shared with you? 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. Yeah. You know, and had to like work on that part. Yeah. I can't imagine I'm really a coach. It would be I can't even coach myself. Oh, so you've really taken to Oxford coach. I noticed that. Your son is moving here, right? Mm-hmm. Is that true?

Yeah, so my daughter goes to school here. Okay. And she's a sophomore. She's a sophomore. Okay. My other daughter's going to college at USC. And then my son is moving here. He's actually on a spring break here right now.

Mm-hmm. And he's moving here next month. And he's going to go to Oxford High? He is. Nice. Yeah. And he plays football, too, or no? He does. Yeah.

Yeah. He's a quarterback. It'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. Oh, that's going to be great to just to be around that much, that many other players and stuff. It's awesome. I was, 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 so awesome and so motivating. Yeah. Do you have a good relationship? I know your dad was Monty Kepin. Yep. And did you guys have a good relationship? Amazing. Oh, nice.

He passed in July and, um, was he sick? Was you pretty sick at the end of his life? 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. Mm-hmm. You know, if you look back, man, if I would have done that or like, I would have got, you know,

made different decisions. So now you have the pain of the regret of that. Yeah. Well, I think a lot of times people with parents sometimes, like, When they pass, you know, they have the pain of regret. Man, we should have been around them more. I didn't go to see them. Well, my dad worked for me all the way up until then at 84.

So all these last three stops, he was here in the building, helping us coach. Oh, that's cool. So every day I would see him 15 times a day. Oh, yeah. And he was such a coach that, like, even as doctors would say, that was keeping him alive because he could come into the office every day. He was 84 years old with dementia, still coming in the office. Yeah.

And he just was like he was the old. 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 like. That was here at Ole Miss. Yeah. Wow.

Yeah. So if you don't come here, who knows if that even set up is even kind of perfect for that. Yeah. But that's where I've gotten to like, who knows what's supposed to be perfect. What I thought, what we thought as a plan should be, I was like totally off. Yeah. know, like, I've been like, there's no way I'm going to 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 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, whoa, whoa, whoa, maybe he wants to, let me turn that over here. Oh, yeah. 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.

Let me control everything. Yes. And 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 and it's going to go out.

I'll just float along with it. The HOV lane, dude. Who caught that clipboard? Do you know? I don't know. They brought it back. They did? Yes, Mississippi nice.

So sweet. Told you, the people here are amazing. God, that was great. There's nothing as good as I was there. Because it's like when the plays work, it's like a video game. I feel like I'm playing a video game. I feel like I'm playing a video game.

I feel like a side line. So think like when you play in a video game, you throw your controller. That's really what I'm doing. It's still a kid in me right there. You know, like throw my clipboard like your controller. Out of the box.

You've had quite a life, you know. 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 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. Yeah. 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? Yeah. Yeah. I think that, like, they can do it. Like, these things happen, you know, in like these major obstacles that seemed 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 going to pass and you're going to 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, if that wouldn't happen, I wouldn't have gotten to work for Nick Saven for three years. You know, so like whatever those things are or. Yeah, your career's been over like four times. 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. Yeah, just today. 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. Hey, man, man, I need to hear that. Yeah, there's something I've been like, I just feel like kind of the world is in because it's 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.

Zoom out. Yeah. Zoom out. So watching my dad passed in 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.

He didn't matter. Like whatever that is right now that you're starting, 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 late. to later on, you're going to look back and be like, man, that ain't, that wasn't a big deal. I'm glad to happen.

Adity, toddy, taudy, man. Adity, Taddy. Lane Kiffin, thanks so much, dude. I really appreciate it. I hope that you stay as entertaining as ever. And I'm glad you're in the SEC, man. It's one of the greatest conferences to watch. And congratulations.

I want you guys have done here at Ole Miss, man. I want to think my friend Scott Sackfield and Richie Haik 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 spend him having a good show here tonight. Yeah, excited for your show tonight. We'll be there and our whole team's coming, actually. Uh-uh, really?

Yeah, the whole team's coming. Oh, dude. Yeah, we told them 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 just want something for free.

Yeah, we told me you really funny and free. So it was something to know you were. At the end, there's still college dudes. She just wants something for free, you know? Lane Kiffin, thanks so much. All right, man. the breeze and I feel I'm falling like these leaves I must be cornerstone I'll share this piece of mind I found I can feel it in my bone