Landry Kiffin, the 20-year-old daughter of new LSU head coach Lane Kiffin, has celebrated the festive season with a romantic trip to New York City alongside her boyfriend, LSU linebacker Whit Weeks. The holiday escape comes after a whirlwind period for the Kiffin family, following her father's seismic and lucrative career move within the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
A Festive Getaway in the Big Apple
The young couple documented their Christmas visit on social media, sharing pictures from iconic New York locations. Their festive tour included stops at the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and a visit to Rolf's, a popular and famously decorated Christmas-themed restaurant. They were also spotted at the upscale Polo Bar and the historic Plaza Hotel, painting a picture of a classic holiday romance in the city.
Landry Kiffin and Whit Weeks made their relationship public on Instagram in September, just days before a high-stakes football showdown. At that time, her father was still the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels, who were set to face Whit's team, the LSU Tigers. The couple's relationship has continued to blossom in the months since, seemingly unaffected by the dramatic coaching changes that have reshaped their family and athletic connections.
A Family Upheaval: The $91 Million Coaching Move
The backdrop to this festive trip is a major upheaval in American college football. Landry's father, Lane Kiffin, recently confirmed his shocking departure from Ole Miss to become the new head coach at Louisiana State University (LSU). The move sent shockwaves through the SEC, given Kiffin's six-year tenure building the Ole Miss programme.
In a statement, Kiffin said, "After a lot of prayer and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision to accept the head coaching position at LSU." He expressed enduring affection for Ole Miss but looked forward to a "new start with a unique opportunity at LSU." The financial scale of the move is staggering, with Kiffin putting pen to paper on a seven-year contract worth $91 million.
This creates a unique and unprecedented dynamic within the LSU football organisation: Whit Weeks, as a player on the Tigers' roster, is now effectively employed by his girlfriend's father. It remains to be seen how this will play out during Kiffin's first full season in charge next year, and whether Weeks will feature prominently in the new coach's plans.
Navigating New Dynamics in Baton Rouge
The situation presents several intriguing personal and professional layers. Landry Kiffin is currently a junior student at Ole Miss, the university her father has just left. She was reportedly a significant factor in his decision to reject an approach from Auburn University in 2022, shortly after she began her studies in Oxford, Mississippi.
Reflecting on that earlier incident in an ESPN documentary, Landry revealed she and her friends created a "slideshow … that we knew he'd find sad and really just rethink his decision." The tactic worked, and her father stayed at Ole Miss. Now, with both her father and her boyfriend based in Baton Rouge at LSU, it is unclear if she will consider transferring to follow them.
For Whit Weeks, the football future is bright. The 20-year-old is a highly-regarded linebacker, with some analysts speculating he could be as high as a day-two pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. His personal life, however, is now inextricably linked to his new head coach's family, adding a fascinating subplot to the upcoming LSU football season.
As the dust settles on Lane Kiffin's monumental career move, his daughter's relationship with an LSU player adds a compelling human interest angle to the story. The family's connections to both Ole Miss and LSU, forged through coaching and romance, will be closely watched as a new chapter begins in Baton Rouge.
