Lane Kiffin has been the talk of college football over the past week — and for good reason. He made the bold decision to leave Ole Miss after six seasons, departing immediately after the Rebels’ regular-season finale to accept a seven-year, $91 million deal to become the next head coach at LSU.
Much of the backlash directed at Kiffin stems from the timing, as he left the Rebels before their upcoming College Football Playoff appearance later this month. He reportedly pushed Ole Miss AD Keith Carter to let him coach the postseason run, but that request was quickly shut down.
Now, with conference championship weekend nearing and ESPN’s “College GameDay” heading to Atlanta for the SEC Championship between No. 9 Alabama and No. 3 Georgia, the network announced that Kiffin will appear as a guest on the show Saturday morning.
ESPN’s press release stated, “Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer will both join the show live in Atlanta, along with new LSU head coach Lane Kiffin.”
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Kiffin just finished leading Ole Miss to arguably the best season in program history, and he’s already brought a large portion of the Rebels’ staff with him to Baton Rouge. However, he’s allowing the offensive coordinator to remain in Oxford for the playoff run to continue calling plays.
“I think people get really upset when you leave somewhere because they feel hurt, especially when you’ve been doing a really good job,” Kiffin said regarding fans’ frustration over his departure. “They wouldn’t be going to the airport, driving from all over, yelling at you, or trying to run you off the road if things weren’t going well.”
Kiffin will now take over an LSU program that is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious jobs in college football. If he can deliver a national championship to Baton Rouge, his contract includes a kicker that would make him the highest-paid coach in the sport, surpassing Georgia’s Kirby Smart.
Currently, Kiffin is one of only three active coaches—alongside Smart and Ohio State head coach Ryan Day—earning an annual salary of over $12 million before incentives.
“When you consider the history, tradition, passion, and the great players in the state of Louisiana, there’s no denying that being in Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night is unlike anything else,” Kiffin said at his introductory press conference. “This program is built for championships, with championship expectations—we get that. But as an elite competitor, that’s exactly what you want, and that’s why we’re here.”
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