Not just going to a rival, their biggest rival. And doing it in the middle of their best season ever. Ole Miss has their own version of battered Aggie syndrome and enough scars as a fan base already. This is going to leave a mark.
With regard to Baton Rouge, it is a gigantic shit hole but the campus is nice. Oxford is like fucking Mayberry if it got invaded by a bunch of country club cokeheads. And it’s fucking impossible to get to. BR at least has a fucking airport.
But being from Louisiana still has some sway with recruits even in this NIL era and it’s a hotbed for talent compared to Mississippi. Plus Death Valley is a home field advantage that Ole Miss could only dream about. And two of the biggest dumbasses to ever blow a whistle won national titles there. LSU, like it or not, has a much higher ceiling and infinitely better pedigree than Ole Miss could ever have.
This business about poaching players and staff? Fuck him. Call his bluff. Promote the next HC from within. If he has the balls to go into that locker room and try to tear apart that team that has a legitimate shot in the playoffs those kids are going to look at him like he’s lost his mind. They’ve been busting their ass all year trying to get to this point with one goal and now they’re going to just bail at the most critical time? Good luck with that. They aren’t going to jump on board. They are going to revolt.
Also biggest loser in all of this: Marty Smith sitting in Oxford with his thumb up his ass for two days just wait for some kind of announcement.