Lane Kiffin might spend New Year’s Day in New Orleans.
The former Ole Miss coach, who took his talents to LSU last month, and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry are considering attending the College Football Playoff quarterfinal between the sixth-seeded Rebels (12-1) and the third-seeded Georgia (12-1) on New Year’s Day night, according to Yahoo Sports.
Security plans are reportedly being made for their arrival at Caesars Superdome, which is home to the Saints, where the Sugar Bowl is being held.
LSU officials and representatives for Landry did not dispute that when contacted by the website.
The report comes after Kiffin made an appearance on ESPN during Saturday night’s broadcast of the Kinder’s Texas Bowl between LSU and No. 21 Houston.
Kiffin did not coach LSU in its 38-35 loss to Houston in the Texas Bowl, as Frank Wilson was named the Tigers’ interim head coach after Brian Kelly was fired.
He bolted to LSU last month and took six assistant coaches with him.
Kiffin — who agreed to a seven-year contract with LSU that will pay him $13 million annually — allowed offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. to return to Ole Miss to coach the team during the playoffs.
He previously said he discussed the matter with LSU and made the playoff committee aware of his decision.
“It’s very strange,” Weis said at Sugar Bowl media day earlier this week. “You spend the whole day grinding together with the game plan, and at night, you’ve got to go to opposite sides [of the building]. At nighttime, we go take care of recruiting meetings on our own. It’s a crazy deal.”
Kiffin announced he was taking his talents to Baton Rouge in a social media following the Rebels’ 38-19 Egg Bowl victory over Mississippi State on Nov. 28.
Ole Miss promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding to become the permanent head coach.
The Rebels crushed Tulane, 41-10, in their opening-round playoff match but SEC rival Georgia provides a much stiffer test.
The Tigers targeted Kiffin in their coaching search after firing Kelly in October.
In six seasons in Oxford, Kiffin led the Rebels to a 55-19 mark.
