Lane Kiffin continued his campaign of trolling Starkville-based reporter Jon Sokoloff -- the unfortunate soul who misreported that the Ole Miss head coach would bolt Oxford for the Auburn football program in 2022 -- on January 5 by laughing at a fan's fake report of Rebels defensive coordinator Pete Golding becoming AU's offensive coordinator.
"BREAKING: DC Pete Golding plans to step down as the rebels DC Friday and head to Auburn to become the Tigers' next OC, according to sources," one trolling account posted. "Auburn hasn’t offered the job to anyone yet. So Pete to Auburn is happening soon. Reported originally by Jon Sokoloff."
Kiffin responded with a single laughing face emoji.
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) January 6, 2024
Sokoloff drew Kiffin's ire originally by claiming that Kiffin to the Plains was a done deal ahead of the 2022 Egg Bowl.
“BREAKING: #OleMiss HC Lane Kiffin plans to step down as the Rebels coach Friday and head to Auburn to become the Tigers' next head coach, according to sources,” Sokoloff wrote. “Sources say the Tigers haven’t officially offered the job to anyone yet. So Lane to Auburn is happening. Story soon.”
Lane Kiffin gets along with reporter who falsely reported he'd leave Ole Miss for Auburn football
Breaking kayfabe here, don't mind me: Kiffin and Sokoloff don't actually hate each other.
As The Grove Report's Ben King recalls of the 2023 Egg Bowl, Kiffin gifted Sokoloff a visor -- and later insinuated that the two have made amends since the famous November 2022 miscommunication.
"All of that seems to be water under the bridge now, however, as Kiffin had a special gift for Sokoloff following his third Egg Bowl victory at Ole Miss," King prefaced before saying, "Per Brad Logan via X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Kiffin gave Sokoloff his visor after the game.
"Despite their history, it appears the two have made amends, or are in the process of doing so, and that's a feel-good story you just can't beat on Thanksgiving."
The king of engagement, Kiffin, is going to milk this story for as long as he possibly could. How can one deny the attention of three football-crazed fanbases in Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Auburn all at once?
Kiffin cannot. These types of tweets will continue. But there's no bad blood anymore.