Head coach Lane Kiffin’s move from Ole Miss to the LSU football team has turned into a full-blown SEC soap opera, and he clearly has no interest in dialing down the drama now that he is in Baton Rouge.
After teasing LSU football team fans with tiger emojis and Trinidadian flags on social media and denying reports that he issued ultimatums to his Ole Miss assistants, the new Tigers head coach is already at the center of another round of speculation, this time about who and what he might bring with him, on and off the field.
Quarterback portal dominoes aside, Kiffin alone was a massive coup for LSU, beating out two SEC rivals for his signature. The Tigers’ leadership is convinced they have hired someone capable of following in the footsteps of Nick Saban, Les Miles, and Ed Orgeron in delivering more national titles to Baton Rouge. He arrived in town like a conquering hero, escorted by police motorcycles and greeted by fired-up fans, the very picture of an SEC savior.
But behind the parade, there is unease. As CBS Sports detailed, Kiffin’s weeks of public flirting and behind-the-scenes maneuvering turned what should have been a triumphant season at Ole Miss into a running circus, overshadowing a historic playoff run.
One LSU source even admitted concern that the constant drama, which energized Oxford right up until it turned ugly, might not sit nearly as well in a place where boosters expect wins without sideshows.
Kiffin’s LSU courtship only poured more gasoline on that perception. With Scott Woodward out and Verge Ausberry in as athletic director, the tone of the Tigers’ pitch shifted to pure flattery: just bring your show here, we’ll fund it, and go chase trophies.
It was, by all accounts, exactly what Kiffin wanted to hear, and Louisiana governor Jeff Landry personally calling to help close the deal, after publicly griping about Brian Kelly’s buyout, only underscored how “all-in” the state’s power brokers were willing to be.
Now LSU has its man on a massive contract, and Kiffin has the stage he craves. Whether his act still plays once the drama hits a rough patch, and not a victory parade, is the gamble everyone in Baton Rouge just signed up for.
