“Were chanting like f**k Lane Kiffin”: Ole Miss head coach describes the infamous reception he received from Tennessee fans

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin has had a successful coaching career with stops at several high-profile college programs. He has been the head coach of the Rebels for the past five seasons, but he got his start with the Tennessee Volunteers.

However, Kiffin was the Volunteers' coach for only one season and had a controversial exit. He coached the team in 2009 but departed after one year to take the job at USC. Apparently, he is now one of the most hated people to Tennessee fans.

On Tuesday, Lane Kiffin appeared on the "Theo Von Podcast." In the episode, he spoke about his reception in Tennessee even to this day. He discussed how even during his tenure at Ole Miss, he still gets curse words shouted at him by fans when he goes to play in Tennessee (starts at 32:20).

"I was the head coach here at Ole Miss, and we went to play at Tennessee. It was like on from warmups. Everyone was there, over 100,000 people. There was this hatred towards me," Kiffin said. "It felt like 'Gladiator,' the movie, thumbs down, like let's kill him. They had a real conversation with me during the week about bulletproof vests. I'm like, 'C'mon, guys, it's football.' They had, like, three cops with me and everything.

"I was walking in, and I was like, this is awesome. They were like chanting, 'F**k Lane Kiffin.' That actually felt intense and cool, 100,000 people chanting that. Then the student section was like, 'Last night we were with your wife.' I'm like, 'Man, that's pretty funny.' It was intense. It just kept building."

Lane Kiffin does not hold any negative feelings for Tennessee

While the fans in Tennessee still are not happy with how Kiffin left the team, he does not hold a similar resentment. While speaking to host Theo Vonn, he told him he still loves the Volunteers' stadium and town.

"Neyland Stadium in Tennessee is amazing," Kiffin said. "It's just, like, when we would bring recruits there, it is majestic. And then at night, there's the river and the boats. And then the intensity in there."

Lane Kiffin last coached against the Volunteers in the 2021 season when Ole Miss visited Tennessee for a 31-26 victory. The two teams are not scheduled to face each other next season unless they meet in the SEC championship game or the College Football Playoff.