Newly oppointed LSU football coach Lane Kiffin made waves online over the weekend for something other than the college football coaching saga.
The former Ole Miss coach went viral for a TikTok, posted by his daughter Landry Kiffin, that showed him returning home with a shopping basket from the grocery store.
In an appearance on ESPN during Saturday night’s broadcast of the Kinder’s Texas Bowl between LSU and No. 21 Houston, Kiffin explained that he didn’t give Landry permission to post the video — and he returned the store’s basket.
Kiffin said he took home the basket because “you have to pay for bags” at the store.
“First Landry wasn’t’ supposed to post that,” Kiffin said when ESPN color commentator Cole Cubelic joked about the video while handing over a plastic bag.
“… There were no bags [at the self checkout] so I just put it in that [basket] and walked out.
“We did bring the basket back.”
Kiffin added that he was proud of himself for doing “self checkout all by myself.”
In her caption, Landry — who’s dating LSU linebacker Whit Weeks — joked that her dad’s shopping privileges are revoked.
“Sent him to the store alone for the first time and [he] brought the basket back,” Landry wrote in text over the video.
“How else am I supposed to carry it? … They said you have to pay for a bag at the self checkout,” Kiffin said after Landry asked why he took the basket home with him.
During his ESPN appearance, Kiffin also explained how social media has helped in recruiting players.
“I need a little detox from it maybe,” Kiffin said when asked how long he’s gone without posting on social media. “But it’s the kind of world we live in.
“So often I get on the phone with a recruit’s mom or dad, and. they’re like, ‘Hey, we feel like we know you because we follow you on social media. It’s so funny [and] entertaining.’
“And so, it kind of gives us a way into people’s living room when we can’t get there.”
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.
Kiffin was at the center of a college coaching carousel that dragged on for months before he agreed to a seven-year contract with LSU that will pay him $13 million annually.
He announced that he was taking his talents to the SEC rival two days after the Rebels’ 38-19 Egg Bowl victory over Mississippi State on Nov. 28.
Several Ole Miss players called out Kiffin on social media, refuting his claims that they asked the administration to allow him to coach the Rebels through the College Football Playoff.
In six seasons in Oxford, Kiffin led the Rebels to a 55-19 mark.
Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding was promoted to coach the 12-1 Rebels permanently.
The Rebels and the Georgia Bulldogs will face off in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals on Thursday.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
