‘Do you think I can bring that to Knoxville?’ – Lane Kiffin is making more jokes about his return to Tennessee in 2026
Former Tennessee Vols head football coach Lane Kiffin will return to Knoxville in 2026 when LSU visits Neyland Stadium.
Former Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin, who took over as the head coach at LSU this offseason, will return to Knoxville in 2026 for the first time since he led Ole Miss to a win over the Vols in 2021.
(Technically, Kiffin was in Knoxville this past winter when he showed up at the airport to kidnap make his final pitch to transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt.)
Kiffin and the Tigers will visit Neyland Stadium for a showdown with the Vols on November 21.
This will be the fourth time that Kiffin has coached in Neyland Stadium as an opponent. He’s 3-0 in his previous three visits (2014 and 2016 as Alabama’s offensive coordinator and 2021 as the Rebels’ head coach).
The 2021 matchup between Ole Miss and Tennessee resulted in a lengthy delay due to fans throwing trash on the field.
I don’t know if things will get quite that crazy this fall when Kiffin visits Knoxville (though Vols head coach Josh Heupel is hoping it will), but he’s prepared for a hostile environment.
Kiffin spoke at the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge this week and he was presented with a “peace pole” right before speaking.
And in true Kiffin fashion, he immediately made a joke about bringing it with him to Ole Miss and Tennessee (LSU also plays at Oxford this fall).
“First off, I appreciate the peace pole,” said Kiffin. “It has wheels. So do you think I could take that to Oxford and Knoxville this year and go in the stadium? Do you think that if I wheel that next to me as we come out of the tunnel that everyone will say, “Hey, good to see you, coach. Welcome back.’”
It honestly would not surprise me if Kiffin brought the peace pole with him to either venue.
But I’m not sure it would help (especially in Oxford, where the boo birds will be as loud as ever).