The drama surrounding Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin and the LSU football program appears to be coming to an end. On Sunday, it was all but announced that Kiffin will be heading to Baton Rouge, after leading Ole Miss since 2020. While Kiffin has had a lot of success at Ole Miss, the final chapter of his story in Oxford was awfully messy.
Kiffin appeared to be demanding that he be allowed to keep coaching Ole Miss through the College Football Playoff. The school wasn't having that. As a result, Kiffin was reportedly threatening to poach his staff and players away from Ole Miss, and send them to LSU.
All this back and forth tension is leading to an awfully messy first chapter of his upcoming story at LSU. Here are some reasons why LSU may not have a smooth partnership with Kiffin moving forward.
Lane Kiffin isn't bringing his defensive staff to LSU with him
Kiffin is bringing several offensive coaches with him to the Tigers. He essentially gave them an ultimatum to get on a plane or risk losing their jobs on his staff, according to media reports.
The journeyman coach though isn't bringing his defensive coordinator from Ole Miss. That is Pete Golding, who is staying behind to coach the team in the CFP. Golding has done wonders at Ole Miss with the defense, holding the position of DC since 2023.
That means Kiffin will need to find a defensive coach to lead his unit at LSU. That won't be an easy job, as the SEC has several high-octane offenses. LSU finished the 2025 regular season with a 7-5 record, and struggled on defense at times.
Time will tell if Kiffin can find the right defensive guru to lead his Tigers team.
How much money will Lane Kiffin have to work with since Brian Kelly was fired?
LSU fired head coach Brian Kelly this season. Kelly is owed more than $50 million as part of his buyout, which is quite a chunk of change.
While LSU will have plenty of money to help Kiffin build a roster, the specter of Kelly's buyout looms large. LSU had fought hard with Kelly to try and lower the buyout, but the school didn't accomplish that goal.
There are several powerful programs in the SEC, who will be throwing a lot of money around to try and buy the best roster they can with NIL money. LSU starts out with a chain around its neck, due to the large buyout owed to Kelly.
That certainly doesn't mean that LSU won't be able to find the right players. Texas A&M had an 11-win season this year, despite owing and paying out millions to Jimbo Fisher. It's possible to navigate a buyout and build a championship-level roster, but it is by no means assured.
There's one more reason why it's fair to doubt that this new LSU-Kiffin marriage will work.
Lane Kiffin hasn't stayed anywhere that long
Kiffin has coached pretty much everywhere at some point. He has been the head coach at Tennessee, USC and Florida Atlantic. He was an assistant at Alabama, under Nick Saban. He even led an NFL team for awhile, the Oakland Raiders.
Kiffin however has never stayed anywhere too long. He has moved from place to place, and while he has had success, he has never won a college football championship as head coach.
“It’s hard to see this ending any way but bad,” college football analyst Paul Finebaum said during his weekly appearance on “The Matt Barrie Show,” about Kiffin's exit at Ole Miss. “Usually, that’s how most relationships with Lane Kiffin end.”
Pressure is enormous at LSU. The Tigers and their fans expect national championships. While Kiffin is certainly a very good coach, there is no guarantee he will be able to win a title at LSU.
Kiffin also has yet to win a conference championship while a power 5 head coach, and he won't last long in Baton Rouge if he doesn't do just that at LSU.
Time will tell if Kiffin is able to capture a CFP title with his new team.
