Rick Pitino Highlights Absurdity Of College Football Calendar Amid Lane Kiffin’s Departure

After weeks of wondering what nan early held for Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, we yet person an answer.

Kiffin released a connection connected Sunday saying that he was leaving nan Rebels to return complete arsenic caput coach astatine LSU, and that his departure from Ole Miss was effective immediately. Despite starring nan Rebels to an 11-1 run done nan regular play and an each but definite spot successful nan College Football Playoff, Kiffin will not beryllium pinch nan squad done its postseason run.

In his statement, Kiffin said that he had wished to proceed coaching done nan extremity of nan year, and while nan thought had support from immoderate successful nan media, it was mostly dismissed arsenic untenable. How could Kiffin proceed moving towards a title for Ole Miss erstwhile he was already building retired a roster for LSU’s 2026 run?

Kiffin is not nan unfortunate here, and very intelligibly did this to himself, but it’s worthy pointing retired that immoderate of this awkwardness could person easy been avoided if nan assemblage shot almanac was planned retired a spot better. Legendary assemblage hoops coach Rick Pitino pointed to nan absurdity of nan situation, arguing that it ne'er should person been imaginable for Kiffin to make specified a move astatine this constituent of nan play successful nan first place.

“I'm not knocking football, but there’s thing incorrect pinch their calendar,” Pitino wrote connected X, formerly Twitter. “I'm astatine SJU and we are perchance a 1 seed and tin triumph a National Championship this year, and I time off successful March??? What’s going connected here?”

Pitino’s constituent is akin to that made by erstwhile Alabama coach Nick Saban on a caller version of College GameDay, successful which he called for an overhaul to nan assemblage shot schedule.

Again, while each of this could person surely been avoided had Kiffin signed an hold pinch Mississippi aliases moreover waited until nan extremity of his existent statement earlier nabbing a caller job, that’s not really things activity connected nan coaching carousel.

Maybe nan full calamity that was Kiffin’s exit from Ole Miss will beryllium capable to lead to change, arsenic nan powers that beryllium successful assemblage shot surely don’t want this happening twelvemonth aft year, but successful nan property of a 12-team playoff, specified departures are going to go progressively common.

Hopefully we person a solution earlier nan adjacent clip Kiffin is looking for a job.

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