Why Lane Kiffin said race makes recruiting more difficult at Ole Miss than LSU
Lane Kiffin explained to Vanity Fair how race in recruiting played into his decision to leave Ole Miss football for LSU.
In an interview with Vanity Fair , Lane Kiffin opened up about what led to his decision to leave Ole Miss football for LSU. In addition to the Tigers' program having more funding, Kiffin also cited the racial climate at Ole Miss and in Oxford as a factor in his decision in an article published May 11. Kiffin said he had top recruits say, "'Hey, coach, we really like you.
But my grandparents aren’t letting me move to Oxford, Mississippi. ’ That doesn’t come up when you say Baton Rouge, Louisiana. " The comments are similar to those made by ESPN's Stephen A.
Smith when Kiffin initially announced his decision. "The brothers ain’t trying to come to Oxford, for the most part, compared to Gainesville or Baton Rouge. Let’s just call it what it is, OK?
” Smith said at the time. Kiffin told Vanity Fair that parents of recruits have been complimentary of LSU's racial makeup. "Parents were sitting here this weekend saying the campus’s diversity feels so great: ‘It feels like there’s no segregation.