Lane Kiffin has been unveiled as LSU's new head coach, describing his decision to walk out on playoff-bound Ole Miss as "excruciating and difficult". Speaking at his introductory press conference on Monday, the 50-year-old said he had tried to convince Ole Miss officials to allow him to remain in charge for the postseason, but they refused once he committed to LSU.
Kiffin said he consulted former championship-winning coaches Nick Saban and Pete Carroll before accepting the role. "I think the world of Coach Saban, and I respect him," he said. He added that LSU's history and tradition made the job irresistible: "When you take the history, tradition, passion and the great players in the state of Louisiana, no one can argue that when you're in Tiger Stadium on Saturday night, there is nothing like it."
His contract, published by NOLA.com, is worth $91m over seven years, an average annual salary of $13m that makes him the second-highest paid coach in college football. The deal includes a clause that could see him earn up to $1m in incentives based on how far Ole Miss advance in this year's College Football Playoff, meaning he would benefit if his former team win the national championship.
Kiffin leaves Ole Miss with a 55-19 record (.743) over five seasons, guiding the Rebels to five consecutive bowl victories, including wins in the Outback, Peach and Gator Bowls. They finished the regular season with an 11-1 record and are expected to secure a spot in the 12-team playoff. He will not coach them in the postseason.
His career path includes stints at Tennessee (7-6) and Southern California (28-15), followed by a spell as an assistant to Saban at Alabama from 2014 to 2016, then a successful rebuild at Florida Atlantic (27-13 from 2017-19). He also endured a brief, unsuccessful NFL tenure with the Oakland Raiders, going 5-15 in 20 games.
