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dave wilson
BATON ROUGE, La.–Lane Kiffin was introduced as LSUThe coach promised Monday to restore it to “the best program in all of college football” despite making what he said was a difficult decision to leave. ole miss,
Kiffin’s arrival ended a months-long saga in which he was the subject of coaching searches by Florida and LSU while Ole Miss tried to retain him. He left Oxford in the midst of a historic season in which the Rebels are 11–1 and ranked 7th in the College Football Playoff rankings.
“The last 48 hours, in many ways, were rough,” Kiffin said, adding that he understood the passion of the rabid Ole Miss fans who were at the airport at the time of his departure. He said he informed Ole Miss administrators Saturday night that he was taking the LSU job, and continued negotiations through Sunday trying to figure out how he could continue to coach the Rebels in what he called “the most historic sporting event in the history of Mississippi State, a home playoff game.”
Kiffin said, “In my opinion, there was no way to do better than what we did from a timing standpoint.”
Ultimately, Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter decided that Kiffin would not coach the Rebels, a decision Kiffin said he respected. He said Carter told him that although keeping the staff together for the playoffs might make sense to everyone outside the program, Carter would have to stay in Oxford after Kiffin left.
LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry called Kiffin “a big personality to work with in a state of big personalities”, and said LSU had no problem with Kiffin remaining as Ole Miss’ coach. But, Ausberry said, there are no rules in college football, like the NFL, that prevent schools from contacting coaches until the season is over.
“It’s not our fault,” Ausberry said. “It was a hand we were dealt, and we had to deal with it, and I had to protect LSU’s interests. I have great friends at all those other institutions in the SEC, but it’s about doing what’s right for LSU.”
Therefore, Kiffin immediately left Oxford for Baton Rouge. He walked through Tiger Stadium, where he had coached several times, with the lights on, and said he felt “the power of that place.”
“I called one guy. I called Ed Orgeron,” Kiffin said of his longtime friend and colleague, who won a national title as LSU’s coach in 2019. “I said, ‘Hey, man, I can do anything… This place makes me want to talk like you do right now.'”
Kiffin’s first 24 hours included a phone call with Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, who took a front-and-center approach to LSU’s coaching situation, leading to the departure of former athletic director Scott Woodward. Kiffin smiled and said the call was “unique” and added, “I could feel his passion and energy in that call for Louisiana State and LSU football.”
Kiffin has a record of 117–53 in 14 years as a college head coach. Tennessee, USC, Florida Atlantic and Ole Miss, which includes seven seasons with at least 10 wins. He’s also been a part of the five most memorable exits in football history: Al Davis details his shortcomings raiders Coach on an overhead projector in Oakland, after leaving for the USC job in Tennessee a year later, then fired from USC at the airport in Los Angeles, after Nick Saban fired him a week before a national championship game alabamaAnd now leaving Ole Miss for Baton Rouge before the playoffs.
He said he wasn’t moved by the fans’ reaction, including some who tried to run him off the road while driving with his son Knox, saying, “That’s life in the SEC.”
“I think people get really upset when you go somewhere because they feel sad because you’re doing a really good job,” Kiffin said. “They’re not going to go to the airport and drive around saying those things and yelling those things and trying to run you off the street if you’re doing bad.”
Kiffin credited his three greatest mentors, all of whom he considered among the greatest defensive minds in football: his father, Monte Kiffin, Pete Carroll, and Saban. Kiffin credited Carroll, whom he said had promised his late father that he would take care of Lane, with encouraging him to take the LSU job. Kiffin indicated that Saban had also pushed him.
“Coach Saban coaches at another location in this conference, so I can’t really say what he said,” Kiffin said of the former Alabama coach, drawing laughs from the crowd. “But I will say, I think Coach Saban’s a great world and I respect him. And so that’s one of the reasons we’re here.”
Kiffin said his first task was to complete the Tigers’ recruiting class, with the early signing period being from Wednesday through Friday. Kiffin said that Frank Wilson will continue to serve as interim head coach for LSU’s upcoming bowl game, but did not provide further clarity on the staff situation.
Kiffin agreed to a seven-year contract with LSU on Sunday that will pay him $13 million annually, including a provision that gives him the same CFP bonus structure from LSU that he received at Ole Miss, including $150,000 for appearing in a first-round CFP game, up to $250,000 for a quarterfinal appearance and $1 million for winning a national championship.
He said on Monday that he was not aware of the terms of his contract, adding that he never asked his agent Jimmy Sexton. Kiffin said he was more concerned about the financial resources to build the program, which included zero for the players. He said the plan he heard from LSU proved it was the best thing to do in football.
Kiffin said, “When you take the history, tradition, passion and great players of the state of Louisiana, no one can argue that there’s nothing like it when you’re in Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night.” “This place is built for championships with championship expectations – we understand that – but as an elite competitor, that’s exactly what you want, and that’s why we’re here.”
