Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter and several players disputed former head coach Lane Kiffin‘s departure story as he joined LSU earlier this week.

Kiffin, who led the Rebels to an 11-1 overall record and a playoff berth, announced Monday he would be joining the Tigers after weeks of speculation. Kiffin said he thought he was going to be allowed to coach the team in the playoffs before taking the job in Baton Rouge.

“It wasn’t until Sunday, that’s why things kept getting pushed back, that I was told that we couldn’t keep this thing in place and coach the playoffs,” Kiffin said in his LSU introduction press conference. “So I’d already made the decision at that point and informed them Saturday night that this is what we were going to do.”

Carter disputed this claim, appearing as a guest on SuperTalk Mississippi.

“There’s been a lot of things he’s said publicly that I’m not sure are totally accurate,” Carter said. “I think that both coach and his representation knew several weeks ago that coaching in the playoffs was not going to be an option if he was not the Ole Miss head coach.”

Kiffin also released a statement on X, saying his request to coach Ole Miss in the postseason “was denied by Keith Carter” and claimed the team also requested him to stay.

Carter once again challenged these claims.

“I don’t think the way he portrayed that meeting was accurate,” he said. “There was a lot of push back to him leaving. It was really one of those things where these guys knew they needed coaches to coach the game.

“I think begging for him to stay is certainly an overstatement.”

And Carter isn’t the only one to weigh in on Kiffin’s departure story. Several Ole Miss players, including linebacker Suntarine Perkins, responded to his former coach’s statement on X.

“That was not the message you said in the meeting room,” Perkins wrote. “Everyone that was in there can vouch on this.”

Offensive lineman Brycen Sanders also took to social media to refute Kiffin’s claims, saying “everyone that was in that room would disagree.”

Ole Miss will find out its opponents in the College Football Playoffs on Sunday. Defensive coordinator Pete Golding will take over as head coach, the team announced.

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin accused a Texas Tech player of spitting and using racial slurs in an altercation with his players during the Texas Bowl Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters after the game, which the Rebels lost, Kiffin was addressing his response to a dispute between multiple players after an Ole Miss player fumbled in the fourth quarter. The subsequent fight for possession intensified after the play to include arguing and shoving.

Ole Miss player Jordan Watkins received a flagrant penalty for the altercation, but Kiffin believed that it should have gone against Texas Tech player Dimitri Moore, who wears the same number as Watkins and was seen yelling at Ole Miss player Jayden Williams.

“They announce our 11, which is Jordan Watkins, who wasn’t in the fight,” Kiffin said. “It was their 11 that was fighting 71 and everybody knew because their own coaches were yelling at the guy.”

Kiffin went on to say that a racial slur had been used during the players’ argument. Moore and Williams are both Black.

“There was a racial slur involved, that’s not the point of what we’re talking about, [it’s] about the spitting part,” Kiffin said. “I brought our own 71 up to the officials, right or wrong, you see him crying? He’s not crying not because he got spit on, it’s because something was said.”

When reporters asked Kiffin to directly address the use of a racial slur, the coach clarified that he didn’t personally hear the comment in question.

Ole Miss went on to lose 42-25 to the Red Raiders, marking the fourth bowl game defeat of Kiffin’s college coaching career. Before his time with the Rebels, the coach worked at Florida Atlantic from 2017 to 2019, a comeback attempt after a marred tenure at USC from 2010 to 2013 that involved NCAA sanctions. He also coached at Tennessee for a year after a two-year stint in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders.

There’s a time every year that football fans are left bored. Typically, they turn their attention to the NFL Draft, devouring pro days and combines. That’s still the case this year even with the emergence of the Alliance of American Football. With only two weeks until the draft combine, Ole Miss wide receiver D.K. Metcalf looks ready to go.

Metcalf Draft Pic Blows Up Social Media

A workout photo of Metcalf and other draft prospects went viral on Twitter on Monday. In the picture, Metcalf looked more like a defensive end than a wide receiver. He’s the last one on the left. But don’t think Metcalf is another combine warrior. He was No. 4 in the NCAA with 21.9 yards per reception and was No. 7 in the SEC with seven touchdowns this year.

Here are some of the best Twitter reactions below:

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Metcalf is expected to be drafted this year. His father, grandfather and uncle all played in the NFL as well. Metcalf’s father, Terrence, played guard for the Chicago Bears for seven seasons starting in 2002. That might explain why D.K. looks like anything but a wide receiver.

Hugh Freeze has dug himself into quite a hole.

Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss Self-Impose One-Year Bowl Ban After Allegations of Rules Violations

The NCAA is coming hard for the Ole Miss Rebels football coach and his program, charging the latter with cheating, lack of institutional control, and other rules violations.

Freeze himself is being charged with unsatisfactory oversight of his assistants, both former and current, whom the NCAA claims have committed 21 rules violations.

Mississippi athletic director Ross Bjork said in a 20-minute video statement the university agreed with the NCAA that there was sufficient and credible evidence to support at least three of the new charges. However, Bjork added that the school would contest the allegations of lack of institutional control, as well as the charge against Freeze for failing to supervise his coaching staff.

When Freeze first learned of the accusations, he lashed out at the NCAA in a tweet in which he directed anyone who believed he and his staff were guilty of cheating or any other violations to contact Ole Miss’ compliance office via email with any proof of these claims.

“If you have facts about a violation, email compliance@olemiss.edu. If not, please don’t slander the young men,” read the head coach’s since-deleted tweet.

On Wednesday, Ole Miss announced it was self-imposing a one-year bowl ban for the 2017 season for major recruiting violations.

Many are now left wondering whether Freeze’s journey from Memphis high school coach to where he is now, with a $5 million annual contract, will soon come to a disgraceful end.

According to ESPN, Ole Miss could lose close to $8 million after forfeiting its share of SEC postseason revenues for this coming season.

The fight will continue as the university prepares its official response to the NCAA within the next 90 days, before facing the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions later this year.

Among the other charges against Ole Miss is one that a former staff member arranged for a recruit, who ultimately signed elsewhere, to receive cash payments from two boosters totaling $13,000 to $15,600.

USA Today’s Dan Wolken tweeted on Wednesday that he believes the NCAA will continue to be “conservative” with their punishment against Freeze and Ole Miss, as they generally have been thus far under vice president of enforcement Jon Duncan, who has held that post at the NCAA since April 2014.

“I am extremely disappointed to learn that any member of my staff violated any SEC or NCAA rules, and as the head coach, I regret those actions,” Freeze said Wednesday. “Any behavior by my staff that is inconsistent with that commitment to do things the right way simply does not reflect the emphasis I personally place on NCAA compliance.”

OXFORD, MS – NOVEMBER 26: Quincy Adeboyejo #8 of the Mississippi Rebels has a pass go through his hands during a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on November 26, 2016 in Oxford, Mississippi. The Bulldogs defeated the Rebels 55-20. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

In the first quarter of Monday night’s home against the Mississippi Rebels, quarterback Deondre Francois and the Florida State Seminoles appeared to struggle, and trailed by 22 points before the end of the opening quarter.

Deondre Francois, No. 4 Florida State Beat No. 11 Ole Miss 45-34

However, things began looking up for the fourth-ranked Seminoles in the second quarter, and they 45-34 season-opening victory over Ole Miss– the biggest comeback win in the school’s history– at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

“Things weren’t going right, but I couldn’t panic because my team needed me behind the wheel,” said Francois, just the fourth freshman to start the season as the Seminoles’ quarterback.

“So I just kept chopping. We were down 28-6, but I couldn’t let them see me down, I had to portray the image that we were not about to lose this game.”

Francois completed 33 of 52 passes for 419 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 59 yards. In the second quarter, he tossed a 16-yard touchdown pass to Travis Rudolph, the first of 33 straight points for Florida State.

Francois also positioned freshman kicker Ricky Aguayo to convert a school-record six field goals while FSU scored on nine consecutive possessions between the second and fourth quarters.

“He’s a kid who loves his team,” FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said of Francois. “His teammates believe in him, and he’s a fighter, and he’s a competitor, which I’m very proud of.”

Francoi’s counterpart, Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly– a senior with much more experience– threw for 313 yards and four touchdowns, although he also finished with three interceptions and one fumble.

Ole Miss gave 13 points off turnovers, which game from Kelley’s four giveaways.

Francois, who didn’t cause a single turnover, was praised by his teammates.

“He just wants to make everything perfect, he wants to perfect his craft,” said FSU running back Dalvin Cook. “The confidence he has coming into the huddle, you have no choice but to go out and execute for him because he is going to lay it on the line for you.”

Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze lamented the way his team played in the latter half of the game.

“Jimbo (Fisher) and I were talking before the game, there was going to be a good football team that walked out of here tonight not feeling well, and it’s us,” Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said. “We did not deserve to win the game the way we played the second half.”

Mississippi cornerback Ken Webster suffered a knee injury on the Rebels’ fourth defensive play when he went up to defend a pass to receiver Kermit Whitfield. Webster was carted off the field after landing awkwardly on the jump.

Ole Miss next returns home to face Wofford of the FCS on Saturday. The Terriers (1-0) are coming off a 21-7 win over Tennessee Tech.

The Seminoles will next host Charleston Southern of the FCS on Saturday. The Buccaneers (1-1) are coming off a thunderous 57-7 win over Kentucky State.

ORLANDO, FL – SEPTEMBER 05: Deondre Francois #12 of the Florida State Seminoles drops back to pass against the Mississippi Rebels during the Camping World Kickoff at Camping World Stadium on September 5, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

South Carolina Gamecocks forward Michael Carrera led his team to a 77-74 overtime victory over the Mississippi Rebels on Tuesday night. The 24th-ranked Gamecocks rallied from a double-digit deficit in the second half of the game to beat the Rebels.

MICHAEL CARRERA LEADS GAMECOCKS TO 77-74 OT WIN OVER OLE MISS

Carrera scored the game-tying layup with 43 seconds left in regulation and the basket that put the Gamecocks up for good in overtime. He scored 19 points, 17 of which came in the second half. Laimonas Chatkevicius added 17 and 10 rebounds. In overtime, Carrera also made the most important play of the game by hitting a layup while getting fouled, and then converting the free throw to give USC a 75-72 lead with 29.3 seconds left.

“We needed a big win like this one,” Carrera said. “We stayed together. We lose together, we win together and that’s how we’ve been doing it the whole season.”

Ole Miss star wide receiver Laquon Treadwell had a college football season that he will forever remember since declaring for the 2016 NFL Draft this year. In the AllState Sugar Bowl played on New Year’s Day against the Oklahoma State Cowboys, Treadwell caught six receptions for 71 yards and three touchdowns for the Rebels. Ole Miss would go on to win the game 48-20 in New Orleans at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The 20-year-old wide receiver wanted to savor every moment of one of the best games of career by staying out with fans signing autographs until 2 a.m. Reported by Valerie Calhoun, an anchor at Fox 13 in Memphis, she praised Treadwell’s act in signing autographs for the children until the wee hours of the morning.

Treadwell was one of the best wide receivers in the country with hauling in 82 catches for 1,153 yards and 11 touchdowns. He is projected to be one of the top picks in the NFL draft as well as the first wide receiver to be selected.

Photo: NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 01: Laquon Treadwell #1 of the Mississippi Rebels celebrates scoring a 14-yard touchdown against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the fourth quarter of the Allstate Sugar Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Ole Miss star defensive end Robert Nkemdiche has been reported to have fallen from a hotel wall on Saturday night, according to a report filed by the Atlanta Police Department.

According to the report, Nkemdiche broke a hotel room window and walked about 15 feet, then climbed a wall which led to a 15 feet fall from that ledge onto the ground. Nkemdiche was found to be conscious and alert when emergency responders arrived and was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital where he was ruled in stable condition. Police searched Nkemdiche’s room and found marijuana in the room. The department formally charge him with possession of marijuana. He was being questioned by authorities and the investigation into why he fell from the room is ongoing.

Nkemdiche, a junior from Loganville, Ga., was the No. 1 prospect in the country coming out of high school when signing with Ole Miss. He led the Rebels’ defensive line throughout his three seasons and voted to the AP All-America second team on Sunday. Nkemdiche is also considered a high first round draft pick in the NFL Draft if he is to forgo his senior season. Ole Miss will face Oklahoma State in the Sugar Bowl on January 1.

Photo: TUSCALOOSA, AL – SEPTEMBER 19: Robert Nkemdiche #5 of the Mississippi Rebels in action against Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 19, 2015 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Ahead of a big match-up against LSU, Ole Miss may be without their defensive star Denzel Nkemdiche.

While coach Hugh Freeze said the linebacker was questionable due to a “a personal matter,” it appears that matter is medical in nature. On Monday, he was taken to the Baptist Memorial Hospital; he remained there as of Wednesday, according to rebelgrove.com

Regardless of his status and the cause of his hospitalization, the team is standing with him. “We are going to walk through it with him,” Freeze said. “When issues come up that you need to get through that involve one of our players and anything with their family, we just want to support them and help them through it.”

PHOTO: TUSCALOOSA, AL – SEPTEMBER 28: Brian Vogler #84 of the Alabama Crimson Tide fumbles the ball against Denzel Nkemdiche #4, Cameron Whigham #55 and D.T. Shackelford #9 of the Mississippi Rebels at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 28, 2013 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Jarret Stoll’s Friday arrest is currently a hot topic. The LA King was detained for felony drug charges in Las Vegas, after allegedly attempting to enter a pool party with “Molly” and cocaine, according to TMZ Sports.

However, the most interesting aspect is what happened on Twitter. Stoll is currently dating Fox Sports announcer and Dancing with the Stars co-host Erin Andrews. And it appears that Andrews has made some enemies in the past, particularly former Ole Miss player Marshall Henderson.

In 2013, she publicly criticized the controversial player when he was suspended for failing a drug test. “He mocking anyone now,” her two-year-old tweet stated. And Henderson responded with, “ima save that and you will be the first person ill mock.” And he certainly remembered yesterday, as he taunted Erin about her boyfriend’s arrest.

https://twitter.com/NativeFlash22/status/590042033286320128

While this is fairly petty, at least Henderson is a man of his word. For those who do not know, the controversial athlete is currently playing basketball in Iraq for the Nift Al-Janoub.

h/t: The Big Lead