Ending weeks of speculation and reports, Lane Kiffin revealed his future coaching plans Sunday afternoon, announcing on Twitter that he was leaving Ole Miss for LSU.
Kiffin, 50, guided the Rebels to an 11-1 record and a likely spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff this season. In his statement, Kiffin confirmed that he would not be coaching Ole Miss in the postseason.
“After a lot of prayer and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision to accept the head coaching position at LSU,” his statement read in part. “I was hoping to complete a historic six-season run with this year’s team by leading Ole Miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on the team’s incredible success and their commitment to finish strong, and investing everything into a playoff run with guardrails in place to protect the program in any areas of concern.
“My request to do so was denied by (Ole Miss athletic director) Keith Carter, despite the team also asking him to allow me to keep coaching them so they could better maintain their high level of performance. Unfortunately, that means Friday’s Egg Bowl was my last game coaching the Rebels.”
LSU will formally introduce Kiffin as head coach on Monday.
Ole Miss announced that defensive coordinator Pete Golding was promoted to head coach. Golding takes over immediately and his first head-coaching experience of any kind will be to guide the Rebels in the CFP.
“Coach Kiffin and I met (Saturday), and he informed us that he is accepting the head coaching position at another school. For our program to begin preparing for its future — both the short and long term, he will be stepping away from the team immediately,” Carter said in a lengthy statement that did not mention Kiffin again.
“With this development, we could not be more excited to announce Pete Golding as the next head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. His tenure will begin immediately as he leads our program in the pursuit of a national title. Today’s team meeting was a clear indicator of his ability to galvanize our squad. All of our players and coaches are ecstatic and ready to lock arms for a playoff run.
“… I want to thank our student-athletes, our staff and Rebel Nation for their patience and support during this process. The future of Ole Miss Football is brighter than ever, and we look forward to taking the next steps in our program’s journey with Pete Golding at the helm.”
LSU, along with fellow SEC program Florida, had been linked to Kiffin since the firing of former coach Brian Kelly in October. In recent days, it became clear that LSU had become the frontrunner to hire him. The school is now reportedly giving Kiffin a seven-year deal worth approximately $12 million per year plus potential bonuses, according to ESPN.
The deal would put his salary near that of Georgia’s Kirby Smart, the highest-paid college coach at $13.3 million a year, and represents a significant increase over the $9 million Kiffin now makes, according to the USA Today coaches’ salary database.
“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Kiffin as the next head coach of the LSU football program,” LSU director of athletics Verge Ausberry said in a statement. “We shared when we began this search that LSU would secure the best coach in the country and Lane Kiffin is just that.”
Kiffin has posted a 55-19 record (.743) with Ole Miss since taking the reins in 2020, leading the team to five straight bowl games, including wins in the Outback Bowl, Peach Bowl and Gator Bowl.
Before that, Kiffin rehabilitated his career following tumultuous tenures with Tennessee (7-6) and Southern Cal (28-15) by serving as an assistant under Nick Saban at Alabama from 2014-16. That led to his return to a lead role with Florida Atlantic from 2017-19, where he went 27-13.
Kiffin also had an unsuccessful 20-game NFL coaching stint with the Oakland Raiders in 2007-08 before being fired four games into his second season. He went 5-15.
Kelly went 34-14 at LSU, and combined with successful tenures at Central Michigan, Cincinnati, and Notre Dame, gives him a 200-76 record over 22 seasons (.725). Kiffin is 117-53 (.688).
–Field Level Media
