The city of Knoxville got a surprise and mostly unwelcome visit from former Tennessee football head coach Lane Kiffin on Friday. The current LSU head coach posted a pair of photos on his X account in the Knoxville airport and then seemingly on UT’s campus. Neither was accompanied by a caption.
So why was Kiffin, who is in the midst of recruiting the transfer portal for his first Tigers roster, visiting Knoxville? It’s hard to imagine there isn’t some sort of recruiting tie-in to the trip, though Kiffin has not revealed his hand just yet.
Nonetheless, it’s already irked some Tennessee fans who aren’t pleased about his early return to town before LSU faces the Vols inside Neyland Stadium in the penultimate game of the 2026 regular season.
You’re not welcome here. ✌🏻 https://t.co/28KhqDoiJq
— Haley Mynatt (@HaleyMynatt) January 10, 2026
https://t.co/fE8GFcgTTM pic.twitter.com/cmeNyKuKuQ
— Drew Walker (@drewwalker35) January 10, 2026
More From RTI: Tennessee Football Lands Penn State’s Leading Tackler, Linebacker Through Transfer Portal
Kiffin has already landed one former Tennessee player this portal cycle. Former five-star recruit and projected starting edge rusher Jordan Ross was quick to take a visit to Baton Rouge and commit to the Tigers.
LSU is trending for another former Vol, as well. Backup center William Satterwhite is being tied to the program and could be the next to join through the portal.
Is one of those two transfers the reason Kiffin made the trip, then? Maybe.
Or, what some fans are putting together, is his recruitment of Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt. The Sun Devils transfer just wrapped up his visit to UT and is reported to check out Miami this weekend. Some are connecting the dots and insinuating Kiffin got to town to intercept the quarterback before he left.
According to Matt Moscona of LouisianaSports.net, that is in fact why he made the trip. He reported that the trip was to see Leavitt now that Demond Williams is staying with Washington. No other reports have surfaced to this point.
In the meantime, Tennessee has already contacted another quarterback transfer with starting experience in the SEC to come to town for his own visit.
