LSU football hires Lane Kiffin as next head coach

LSU football hired Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin as its next head coach. Kiffin, the hottest name of the coaching carousel, dominated recent headlines as he mulled returning to Ole Miss or leaving for an SEC blue blood.

On3's Chris Low is reporting that LSU has a press conference scheduled for Monday.

Kiffin was atop Florida's coaching wishlist at one point and Ole Miss fought to retain Kiffin, but LSU won the battle and got its guy. LSU was all in on Kiffin, not spending much time on other candidates.

Kiffin replaces Brian Kelly, who was fired in October after LSU's loss to Texas A&M.

Over his 14-year career as a head coach, Kiffin has a 117-53 record and 68% win percentage. He's been at Ole Miss since 2020 and led the Rebels to four double-digit win seasons, including three-straight dating back to 2023. Prior to his time in Oxford, he led Florida Atlantic, USC, and Tennessee.

Kiffin built Ole Miss' program from the ground up. He cemented a heavy presence on the recruiting trail and bought into the new era of college athletics with aggressive stances on NIL and the transfer portal. Combining his acumen with LSU's resources will immediately reenergize the program.

Lane Kiffin to LSU: Kiffin looks to prove it on the biggest stage

Lane Kiffin is only 50, but he's fit nine lives into his 29-year coaching career. Kiffin was USC's head coach from 2010-13. He was a longtime USC assistant, working under Pete Caroll in the 2000s. Kiffin's USC tenure ended when he was fired midseason in 2013.

Kiffin was let go shortly after USC fell to 3-2. He was infamously called off the plane by USC AD Pat Haden only to be fired just inside the airport terminal.

Kiffin said the USC firing was the lowest point of his career.

Since then, Kiffin has steadily climbed back to the top of college football, and once again, he gets a chance to lead a powerhouse program.

Kiffin's redemption arc began as Alabama's offensive coordinator, where he helped Nick Saban win two national championships. Kiffin left Alabama for FAU's head coaching position, which earned Kiffin the chance at Ole Miss.

After winning at Ole Miss, Kiffin gets another chance at one of the sport's top programs.

Lane Kiffin set to be one of the highest-paid coaches in the sport

Kiffin was getting paid regardless. Whether he accepted the LSU job or signed an extension with Ole Miss, he was going to become one of the highest-paid coaches in the sport. Kiffin's LSU salary, when made official, will likely rival Kirby Smart's at Georgia.

According to USA TODAY Sports, Smart's salary was $13.2 million in 2025. Kiffin has a chance to surpass that.

LSU football gets its top choice

College football coaching searches are long and winding journeys -- rarely do they result in a program hiring its No. 1 pick. But that's what LSU is getting here. The search certainly didn't lack drama, but there was no secret about the man LSU wanted.

LSU went all in on Lane Kiffin, and it paid off.

Lane Kiffin: Year-by-year record

Here's a closer look at Kiffin's year-by-year record as a college football coach. Kiffin went 7-6 at Tennessee, but was only there for a year.

He won 10 games with USC in 2011, but struggled to maintain that success in 2012 and 2013.

At FAU, Kiffin won 11 games twice, bringing unprecedented success to the program. His Ole Miss tenure unfolded a similar way, with four double-digit win seasons in six years.

Year

School

Record

2009

Tennessee

7-6

2010

USC

8-5

2011

USC

10-2

2012

USC

7-6

2013

USC

3-2

2017

Florida Atlantic

11-3

2018

Florida Atlantic

5-7

2019

Florida Atlantic

11-3

2020

Ole Miss

5-5

2021

Ole Miss

10-3

2022

Ole Miss

8-5

2023

Ole Miss

11-2

2024

Ole Miss

10-3

2025

Ole Miss

11-1

This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU football hires Lane Kiffin as next head coach