LSU head coach Lane Kiffin isn’t scared to mix work and politics.
The former Ole Miss coach raised some eyebrows with a social media post on Friday, January 23, in which he posted a picture of two hats with the moniker, “Make Baton Rouge Great” while tagging President Donald Trump.
The message on the hat is a clear nod to President Trump’s popular political slogan, “Make America Great Again” first used in 1980 by former President Ronald Reagan.
After the post received nearly nine thousand likes on X, Kiffin, 50, deleted it on Saturday, January 24, as backlash built up in the comment section. He reposted the same photo later in the day with a new caption, “@LSUfootball #225,” a nod to the Baton Rouge area code (225).
“Hey man, you’ve had a phenomenal two and a half months, and you’re old enough to have heard not to talk politics at work,” wrote one user on the original post. “You may not care how people view you, but some recruits’ parents ain’t gonna care about the money…”
“Love you Lane. Terrible tweet,” said another.
Despite the backlash, the controversial football coach also received some praise in the comments under the original tweet.
“Lane is working on bringing more national attention to the team, let him cook. Big picture,” said one user.
“This makes me actually like you,” said another.
LSU hats with the slogan, “Make Baton Rouge Great” Lane Kiffin/X
Kiffin irked some college football fans in November after he abruptly decided to leave Ole Miss and coach at LSU instead, despite being in the midst of one of the best seasons in Rebels’ history.
After making his decision, he was met with boo’s and expletives from fans at the airport on his way out of town, with some middle fingers thrown in there for good measure.
“This was a very challenging and difficult day,” Kiffin told ESPN before boarding his plane to Baton Rouge in November. “We went through a lot last night with Keith Carter trying to figure out a way to make this playoff run work and be able to coach the team, and at the end of the day that’s his decision. I totally respect that and I understand that decision. I just totally wish the team the best of luck, I wish I was coaching, but I understand that it was a very challenging position for him to be in.”
At the time, Kiffin claimed that he wanted to continue coaching at Ole Miss through the College Football Playoff (even after making his decision to leave) — and that the team wanted him to stick around for a bit longer — but was denied that opportunity by Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter.
Some players disputed Kiffin’s claims.
“‘Despite the team asking me to keep coaching,’” Ole Miss offensive lineman Brycen Sanders wrote via X on December 2, quoting the statement Kiffin sent two days before. “I think everyone that was in that room would disagree.”
Lineman Paris Wilkins quoted Sanders’ post, writing, “Fax this was not said from anyone.”
Even after the Rebels’ 39-34 upset victory over the Georgia Bulldogs in the CFP quarterfinal on January 1, defensive tackle Zxavian Harris told ESPN that Kiffin was trying to “steal our shine.”
“That’s all he’s trying to do,” Harris said. “That’s all he’s been trying to do is steal our shine.”
Ole Miss eventually lost to the University of Miami, 31-27, in the CFP semifinal round.
