Lane Kiffin has left Ole Miss for LSU, but apparently his salary wasn’t the motivating factor.
We now know the details of Kiffin’s contract with the Tigers. It’s a seven-year, $91 million deal that will pay Kiffin $13 million annually, making him the second-highest paid coach in college football. It’s a big raise over the $9 million he was making to coach the Rebels. There is also an automatic escalator in the contract that would make him the highest-paid coach in college football if he won a national title.
While that’s a significant deal, according to The Athletic’s Steward Mandel, Ole Miss was offering a “nearly identical” deal as LSU. That means this wasn’t about money.
It’s clear to anyone who knows anything about college football that the LSU job simply has a higher ceiling than the same position at Ole Miss. The amount the school will spend on NIL, the facilities, and the recruiting grounds are among the highest in college football. The Rebels could match the contract, but not the intangibles.
Kiffin will now have to produce to match the contract he signed. He’ll be inheriting a team that went 7-5 this season and hasn’t reached the College Football Playoff since an incredible 15-0 season in 2019. That team was led by Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson, and Ja’Marr Chase, who have become NFL stars. He’ll need that kind of talent to turn things around.
Other than that spectacular 2019 campaign, LSU hasn’t won a national title since Les Miles led them to a BCS title during the 2007 season. They were undefeated during the 2011 regular season, but were shut out 21-0 by Alabama in the national title game in New Orleans.
Brian Kelly won 10 games in his first two seasons, but only secured nine wins in 2024 and was fired after a 5-3 start this season.
The unique thing about LSU is that the resources available make a quick turnaround possible. That’s what makes it such a desirable position.
LSU is a destination job, and Kiffin ran to it.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Report: Lane Kiffin Departed for LSU Despite ‘Nearly Identical’ Offer From Ole Miss.
