If there were any questions about how hostile the environment for Lane Kiffin's return to Ole Miss will be, the city's plan ahead of this weekend's game against LSU just about sums it up. With Kiffin's former team entering the matchup at 2-0 and his current team boasting the same record, the football side of things alone is enough to expect some drama, but the headlining aspect of Kiffin's departure this past offseason adds an entirely new layer.
Along with the already expected heavy police presence for the matchup between No. 7 LSU and No. 8 Ole Miss on Saturday night, Front Office Sports reports that the 150-person police staff is bringing in additional units. This will include units from Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans.
Oxford is building
up its police presence for Lane Kiffin's return to Ole Miss. The city's near 150-person staff will welcome additional units from Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans in the form of mounted patrol, an Oxford Police Department spokesperson told FOS.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) September 15, 2026
From the sound of it, Ole Miss is taking every precaution imaginable to help keep a significant number of police at the game, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Kiffin helped the Rebels become a national powerhouse again in recent years and spent the last six seasons as their head coach. In the last three seasons alone, he posted a 33-6 record, and Ole Miss was ranked as high as No. 3 in 2025. But with an offer from LSU on the table, Kiffin decided to make the move to Baton Rouge, and his team will face its toughest test yet against a motivated group of players, many of whom are surely hoping to show their former coach he made the wrong move.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Ole Miss bringing out-of-state police to prepare for Lane Kiffin's hostile return with LSU
