The Tigers' new leader ignites a firestorm by contrasting Baton Rouge’s diversity with his former home’s reputation, deepening the bitter rivalry between LSU and Ole Miss.
Fans of the LSU Tigers can always expect to have something going on now that Lane Kiffin is the head coach. Brian Kelly was a big personality during the season, but went away in the offseason. Kiffin has remained in the headlines.
It's not necessarily a bad thing, though. Some say all press is good press. Kiffin's large personality makes him someone that players want to play for. He doesn't lack for confidence and is fairly unpredictable.
On Monday afternoon, Vanity Fair (subscription required) released a profile of the Tigers' head coach, and there were specific parts of it that went viral within the college football community.
When speaking about the difficulties of recruiting for the Ole Miss Rebels, and how things are different now that he's at LSU, Kiffin alluded to a reputation that the city of Oxford, Miss. because of past racism issues in the area.
"Hey, coach, we really like you. But my grandparents aren’t letting me move to Oxford, Miss.’ That doesn’t come up when you say Baton Rouge, La," said Kiffin. "Parents were sitting here this weekend saying the campus’s diversity feels so great: 'It feels like there’s no segregation. And we want that for our kid because that’s the real world.'"
Fans of the Rebels were, predictably and understandingly upset. No matter what has happened in the past, their character as a city and fanbase was called into question by their former head coach. Someone that was once beloved and is now very much hated.
There was already a rivalry in place between the Tigers and Ole Miss. The two cities have never gotten along. Things got taken up a notch as soon as Kiffin made the jump, as everyone got more aggressive. This will only continue to increase tensions between Oxford and Baton Rouge. The first game between the two parties as Kiffin heads on the road will be one of the highest-watched in the seasons.
This controversy has mostly had Baton Rouge painted in a much more positive light, which was assuredly one of the biggest goals from a statement like that. Kiffin is an intense recruiter and knows how to help himself while striking nerves.
These two teams will continue to go head-to-head as the vitriol continues to progress over the years. A lot is riding on who wins the first meeting, in terms of who gets the next major laugh.