Pete Carroll's Surprising Role in Lane Kiffin Decidi...

By Evan Massey

Contributing Sports Writer

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Over the past few weeks, there has not been a day that has gone by without a lot of chatter about the future of college football head coach Lane Kiffin. Up until Sunday, Kiffin was the head coach of the red-hot Ole Miss Rebels, but he opted to leave that position to take over as the next head coach of the LSU Tigers.

Ole Miss and LSU were not the only two teams in the conversation for Kiffin. At one point in time, the Florida Gators were perceived to be a major threat to steal Kiffin, but they quickly fell out of the conversation.

With that being said, Kiffin has made his decision. He will be the new lead man in charge of turning LSU back into a legitimate national championship contender.

Read more: Florida’s Jon Sumrall Hire Met With Brutal Take From Paul Finebaum

Throughout the process, a lot of different reports and rumors were heard. No one truly knew what Kiffin was going to do. Late in the process, it became clear that the Tigers had a good chance to land their man.

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One intriguing name played a very important role in Kiffin's decision to leave the Rebels to join LSU. That name was none other than Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll.

Kiffin spoke out about what Carroll had to say to him while he was struggling to make a final decision.

“I talked to some mentors, coach Carroll, coach Saban,” Kiffin said. “And especially when Coach Carroll said, ‘Your dad would tell you to go, man. Take the shot. Take the shot, you accomplished a lot [at Ole Miss].’”

Losing Kiffin right before the College Football Playoff is a brutal blow for Ole Miss. To replace him, the Rebels moved quickly to name Pete Golding as the program's permanent head coach. The Golding era will begin very soon.

Read more: Ole Miss Has Been Linked to Potential Deion Sanders Move

However, the Kiffin era at LSU will have to wait until next season. He has compiled an impressive 116-53 overall record throughout his college football head coaching career. Kiffin is fresh off of a 55-19 record, turning the Rebels' football program around and into a contender.

Doing the same for LSU will be no easy task. Kiffin will be facing sky-high expectations and pressure. But, he's ready to take on the challenge and Carroll played a very important role in helping him get to this point.

For more on the LSU Tigers, Ole Miss Rebels, and college football news, head to Newsweek Sports.

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