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Lane Kiffin just became one of college football’s highest-paid coaches after signing his monster deal with LSU. The Tigers are giving him a seven-year, $91 million contract that could get even richer with incentives, according to records The Advocate got their hands on.
At $13 million annually before bonuses, Kiffin now trails only Georgia’s Kirby Smart in the college coaching salary rankings. He joins an exclusive club with Smart and Ohio State’s Ryan Day as the only coaches making more than $12 million per year. What’s interesting? Smart and Day are two of just three active coaches who’ve actually won national titles.
If Kiffin brings a championship to Baton Rouge, his contract includes an automatic bump that would make him the highest-paid coach in the nation.
Here’s where things get weird.
LSU agreed to honor whatever postseason bonuses Kiffin would’ve earned at Ole Miss this season. That means he could pocket up to an additional $1 million if the Rebels – the team he just left – somehow win the national championship without him.
The buyout protection is substantial too. If LSU fires Kiffin without cause, they’ll owe him 80% of his remaining contract paid in monthly installments. There’s no offset language either – meaning Kiffin gets paid in full even if he lands another coaching job.
This massive payday comes after at least three schools reportedly fought for Kiffin’s services. It’s not hard to see why. Through 14 seasons as a college head coach, he’s compiled a 117-53 record. His final act at Ole Miss was leading the Rebels to their first 11-win regular season in program history on Black Friday, likely securing the school’s first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.
The timing of Kiffin’s departure has created chaos in Oxford. The Rebels quickly promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding to head coach, giving him just weeks to prepare the team for their playoff run – all while their former coach counts his millions in Baton Rouge.
