When a coach becomes a weather event in the public imagination, something larger than football is at play. Lane Kiffin's arrival in Oxford, Mississippi for a rivalry game between LSU and Ole Miss drew not just 300,000 anticipated visitors but a gubernatorial warning, a National Guard clarification, and a Heisman winner's counsel to a wide receiver — all before a single snap. In the Southeastern Conference, where football is civic religion, the man on the sideline can become the story itself, and Kiffin has long understood how to occupy that space.
Mississippi Governor Warns of 'Hurricane Kiffin' Ahead of Ole Miss-LSU Showdown
Climate & Environment