The Lane Train has made a stop in H-Town.
LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry confirmed to WAFB’s Jacques Doucet that new LSU football coach Lane Kiffin will be in attendance inside NRG Stadium for the Tigers’ contest against Houston in the Texas Bowl, and will be doing some “media coverage”
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Kiffin’s presence was teased by former LSU defensive tackle Booger McFarland on ABC during halftime of the Pop-Tarts Bowl between BYU and Georgia Tech. Kiffin also posted a photo of himself inside a private jet with an LSU pennant flag on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account earlier in the day.
REQUIRED READING: LSU vs. Houston score, live updates, where to watch Texas Bowl today
While it is not unusual for an incoming coach to attend a bowl game of his new program, it is the first public appearance for Kiffin since he took over the Tigers program as the successor to Brian Kelly, outside of his introductory news conference.
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Kiffin, who congratulated his former program on their first-ever CFP win on Saturday, Dec. 20 against Tulane, led Mississippi to a 55-19 overall record in six seasons.
Here’s what to know about why Kiffin is at NRG Stadium for LSU’s bowl game against Houston:
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Penn State hired Matt Campbell as its next head coach. Campbell, 46, coached 10 seasons at Iowa State and was the winningest coach in school history.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Penn State hired Matt Campbell as its next head coach. Campbell, 46, coached 10 seasons at Iowa State and was the winningest coach in school history.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Kyle Whittingham is finalizing a new deal to be the coach at Michigan after 177 wins in 21 seasons at Utah. Whittingham replaces Sherrone Moore who was fired Dec. 10.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
UCLA hired Bob Chesney as its next head coach, ending the longest coaching search in country of a coach fired midseason in 2025. Chesney spent two seasons at James Madison and led the Dukes to the Sun Belt championship game this season after coaching Holy Cross, where he won five conference championships.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
South Florida hired Brian Hartline, replacing Alex Golesh, who left to become head coach of Auburn. Hartline has been an assistant at Ohio State since 2017 first as wide receivers coach then offensive coordinator and helped the Buckeyes win the national championship last season.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Florida hired Jon Sumrall as its next head coach, replacing Billy Napier, who was fired midseason. Sumrall, 43, spent two seasons at Tulane and two at Troy and led his teams to the conference championship game in each of those four seasons.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
LSU hired Lane Kiffin as its next football coach on Nov. 30. Kiffin spent six seasons at Ole Miss and led the Rebels to a spot in this year’s College Football Playoff, though he won’t coach in it.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Virginia Tech hired James Franklin as its next head coach. Franklin was fired earlier this season at Penn State. He replaces Brent Pry, who was fired midseason by the Hokies.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Michigan State football hired Pat Fitzgerald as Jonathan Smith’s replacement. Fitzgerald coached 17 seasons at his alma mater Northwestern, posting a 110-101 overall record.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Auburn is hiring South Florida coach Alex Golesh to be the Tigers’ next head coach. Golesh is 23-15 in three seasons with the Bulls, with three bowl bids.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Ole Miss promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding to head coach after Lane Kiffin left for LSU. Golding is in his third season as Rebels DC and served as Alabama’s DC before.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Morgan Scalley is taking over as Utah coach with the departure of Kyle Whittingham following 21 seasons in the job. Scalley, a former Utes defensive back, was an assistant under Whittingham for 18 seasons and coach-in-waiting since 2024.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Arkansas is set to hire Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield to lead the Razorbacks program. Silverfield is 50-24 in six seasons in Memphis with a fifth bowl appearance on the way.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Oklahoma State hired Eric Morris from North Texas to be the Cowboys next head coach. Morris replaces longtime OSU coach Mike Gundy, who was fired earlier this season.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Stanford hired Washington Commanders quarterback coach Tavita Pritchard to be the Cardinal’s next head coach
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Colorado State hired Jim Mora Jr. as its new head coach. Mora led UConn to back-to-back nine-win seasons and replaces Jay Norvell, who was fired midseason.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Kentucky moved on from Mark Stoops after 13 seasons and hired Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein to fill its vacancy. The Kentucky native previously played for Louisville.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Iowa State hired Jimmy Rogers as its next head coach. Rogers, 38, spent one year as the coach of Washington State after coaching South Dakota State for two seasons and an FCS national championship in 2023.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Kansas State has brought back former player and assistant Collin Klein as its football coach after Chris Klieman stepped down after seven seasons. Klein spent the past two years as offensive coordinator at Texas A&M.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Tosh Lupoi is returning to alma mater California after the school fired Justin Wilcox. Lupoi, a longtime college and NFL assistant, was defensive coordinator at Oregon for four seasons.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Charles Huff is the new Memphis football coach after one season at Southern Mississippi after leading the Golden Eagles to a bowl game. He previously was at Marshall for four seasons.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Connecticut hired Toledo coach Jason Candle to replace Jim Mora. Candle won 81 games in 10 seasons with the Rockets.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
James Madison moved quickly to hire Billy Napier, a former coach at Florida and Louisiana-Lafayette, after the departure of Bob Chesney to UCLA.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
After losing Jon Sumrall to Florida, Tulane elevated offensive coordinator Will Hall to the job. Hall previously coached four seasons at Southern Mississippi.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Toledo found the replacement for Jason Candle with the addition of Mercer’s Mike Jacobs, who led the Bears to consecutive FCS playoff appearances in two seasons at the school.
25 / 31
These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Oregon State hired Alabama co-offensive coordinator JaMarcus Shephard as its head coach, replacing Trent Bray who was fired after an 0-7 start this season.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
North Texas hired former West Virginia coach Neal Brown as the replacement for Eric Morris, who departed for the head coaching job at Oklahoma State. Brown spent six seasons with the Mountaineers and won 35 games in four seasons at Troy.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Ohio promoted interim coach John Hauser after the team defeated UNLV in the Xbox Bowl. Hauser replaces Brian Smith, who was fired in December.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
After the departure of Jimmy Rogers, Washington State hired Kirby Moore, who spent the last three seasons as an assistant at Missouri after previous stops at Fresno State and Washington.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Caostal Carolina filled its coaching vacancy after the firing of Tim Beck by hiring Ryan Beard from Missouri State, who led the Bears to a bowl game in their first FBS season.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Southern Mississippi promoted offensive coordinator Blake Anderson to fill its coaching vacancy following the departure of Charles Huff. Anderson was previously the head coach at Utah State and Arkansas State.
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These college football coaches are on the move. See who found new home
Alex Mortensen took over as interim coach of Alabama-Birmingham after the firing of Trent Dilfer. Mortenson was promoted to full-time coach after going 2-4 to finish the season.
Why is Lane Kiffin at Texas Bowl between LSU-Houston?
Kiffin is getting an early look at his new team in action, as the former Ole Miss coach was named the successor to Kelly at LSU on Sunday, Nov. 30.
The veteran head coach was one of the most sought-after coaches in this coaching carousel, as he mentioned during his introductory news conference at LSU on Monday, Dec. 1 that there were four options on the table for him, including staying at Ole Miss and continuing to build the Rebels into a powerhouse.
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He ultimately chose LSU.
“This place is different. Having watched this place for a long time and from the other sideline. This place is different, and that’s why we’re here,” Kiffin said at his introductory news conference.
He added: “As we’re going to the office, and you go by Tiger Stadium, and it’s lit up, and you are like, ‘I absolutely made the right decision,’ and (any bad feelings) all went away.”
Kiffin will be tasked with rebuilding the LSU program into a national championship contender, as the Tigers have missed out on the College Football Playoff each year since their national championship in 2020.
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See Lane Kiffin’s LSU introductory press conference in Baton Rouge
News media arrive before a press conference by LSU’s new head coach Lane Kiffin at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge on Dec. 1, 2025.
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See Lane Kiffin’s LSU introductory press conference in Baton Rouge
News media arrive before a press conference by LSU’s new head coach Lane Kiffin at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge on Dec. 1, 2025.
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See Lane Kiffin’s LSU introductory press conference in Baton Rouge
A sign is seen before a press conference by LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge on Dec. 1, 2025.
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See Lane Kiffin’s LSU introductory press conference in Baton Rouge
LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin is introduced at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge on Dec. 1, 2025.
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See Lane Kiffin’s LSU introductory press conference in Baton Rouge
LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin speaks at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge on Dec. 1, 2025.
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See Lane Kiffin’s LSU introductory press conference in Baton Rouge
LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin speaks at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge on Dec. 1, 2025.
Who is coaching LSU in Texas Bowl?
LSU interim head coach Frank Wilson is coaching the Tigers in the Texas Bowl against Houston on Dec. 27. Wilson, a longtime assistant coach at LSU across two different stints, has led the Tigers to a 2-2 record since being elevated to interim head coach by Woodward.
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The Texas Bowl will be the final game Wilson coaches at LSU, as he is returning to Ole Miss to be on Pete Golding’s first staff in Oxford. Wilson spent three seasons with the Rebels from 2005 through 2007 as a running back and special teams coach. During availability in Houston on Friday, Dec. 26, Wilson mentioned he and Kiffin couldn’t come to a resolution on keeping him in Baton Rouge, despite Kiffin “wanting to find a way to work it out.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why is Lane Kiffin at LSU-Houston in Texas Bowl?