Lane Kiffin Declines Request to Wear Tennessee Volunteers Peyton Manning Jersey at Morgan Wallen Concert
Ole Miss Rebels coach Lane Kiffin would not represent his former team at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday night, even if it involved the Manning family.

It seems that Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin is faithful to his team's brand, at least where concert appearances are concerned.

Kiffin was in attendance at country music star Morgan Wallen's concert at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday, part of the singer's "One Night At A Time" tour. Wallen is an avid Tennessee Volunteers fan, and since Kiffin was the head coach in Knoxville for the 2009 season, there's a connection between the two.

Apparently, however, Wallen asked Kiffin to wear a particular Tennessee jersey to the concert, a request that Kiffin declined.

"I tried to get Lane Kiffin to wear a Peyton Manning jersey, and he said no," Wallen said to the crowd. "So I think y'all oughta keep him around for a while."

"Sorry, couldn't do it," Kiffin posted on X while tagging Wallen. He also included the No. 16 next to an orange heart in the post, the number that Manning wore for the Volunteers during his collegiate career.

There is obviously a connection between the Manning family and Ole Miss, even though Peyton opted to play for Tennessee. His father Archie and younger brother Eli both played at Ole Miss as did his brother Cooper. It appears, however, that Kiffin's loyalty to Ole Miss runs deeper than his loyalty to the Mannings.

Kiffin has faced Tennessee once during his tenure as the head coach of the Rebels, gaining a 31-26 win in Knoxville during the 2021 season. After his one season leading the Volunteers in 2009, Kiffin jumped ship and took the head coaching job with the USC Trojans, holding that post from 2010-13, a tenure that ended with his infamous "firing on the tarmac."

SOURCE: Gillespie, John Macon. "Lane Kiffin Declines Request to Wear Tennessee Volunteers Peyton Manning Jersey at Morgan Wallen Concert." si.com - The Grove Report, 22 April 2024, https://www.si.com/college/olemiss/football/ole-miss-rebels-lane-kiffin-morgan-wallen-peyton-manning-jersey-request-concert