Highlights

Lane Kiffin is expected to announce on Sunday that he's going to LSU in a seven-year deal worth approximately $12 million annually
Kiffin scheduled a 9 a.m. meeting with Ole Miss players Sunday morning to announce the decision
Ole Miss officials won’t allow Kiffin to coach Rebels in College Football Playoff if he takes LSU job
Deal would make Kiffin one of the highest-paid coaches in college football
LSU poaching Kiffin from SEC rival Ole Miss to replace fired coach Brian Kelly

Lane Kiffin Expected to Take LSU Job Sunday, Won’t Coach Ole Miss in Playoffs

Sources say the Tigers will land Ole Miss coach with a seven-year deal worth approximately $12 million per year

BATON ROUGE, La. (103.3 The GOAT) — LSU will hire Lane Kiffin away from Ole Miss on Sunday morning, according to ESPN.

Sources told ESPN late Saturday the deal wasn’t signed yet, but it “would be a shock” if Kiffin doesn’t finalize the move to Baton Rouge. The 50-year-old coach scheduled a 9 a.m. meeting with Ole Miss players Sunday morning. An announcement will follow.

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What LSU Is Offering Kiffin

The Tigers will pay Kiffin around $12 million annually across seven seasons, with potential bonuses that make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the sport, according to ESPN.

It would be a big raise from the $9 million Kiffin currently makes at Ole Miss. It puts him in the same financial tier as Georgia’s Kirby Smart, the highest-paid coach at $13.3 million per year. Multiple reports say LSU has also committed more than $25 million for NIL and revenue-sharing.

Why Kiffin Won’t Coach Ole Miss in Playoffs

Despite leading the Rebels to their first 11-win regular season in program history and a likely College Football Playoff berth, Kiffin won’t be on the Ole Miss sideline for the postseason if he takes the LSU job.

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Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter and chancellor Glenn Boyce won’t allow Kiffin to coach the Rebels in the CFP if he’s taking a job with an SEC rival. The school wants to avoid having Kiffin around players with the transfer portal opening Jan. 2. Ole Miss officials also don’t want their playoff games becoming what ESPN described as a “commercial” for LSU’s future under Kiffin.

Kiffin lobbied Ole Miss administrators to change their minds on this restriction, but Carter and Boyce held firm.

How Saturday’s Meetings Played Out

After Friday night’s 38-19 Egg Bowl victory over Mississippi State, Kiffin said he would decide Saturday whether he’d coach at Ole Miss or LSU in 2026. He met with Carter and Boyce for several hours at the chancellor’s home in Oxford on Saturday afternoon, but the day ended without an announcement.

Around the same time, reports emerged that Kiffin was beginning to plot out how his LSU staff would look.

Ole Miss officials briefly hoped Kiffin might coach one more game if the Rebels clinched a spot in next week’s SEC championship game in Atlanta. But No. 10 Alabama’s 27-20 victory over Auburn in Saturday night’s Iron Bowl ended that possibility. The Crimson Tide will face No. 4 Georgia for the SEC title instead.

What This Means for LSU

LSU targeted Kiffin as their top choice after firing Brian Kelly in October during a disappointing 5-3 start. The Tigers went all-in with a record-setting financial package.

Kiffin brings a 55-19 record from six seasons at Ole Miss. He’s led the Rebels to five consecutive bowl appearances and three 10-win seasons. This year, he delivered their first-ever 11-win regular season and their first College Football Playoff appearance.

If the deal becomes official, it would bring one of college football’s most innovative offensive minds to Baton Rouge. Kiffin has a proven track record of building winners in the SEC. LSU’s recruiting advantages in talent-rich Louisiana give him the resources to compete with Georgia and Alabama at the top of the conference.

Even with Kiffin leaving, Ole Miss will likely host a first-round CFP game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Dec. 19 or 20.