College football’s months-long soap opera drew to a long-awaited close yesterday, with Lane Kiffin announcing he would be leaving Mississippi for SEC rival LSU.
Kiffin became the central figure in a busy and occasionally unpredictable 2025 coaching carousel, with Florida and LSU, as well as his now-former employer, all vying for his services.
Ultimately, he chose the Tigers, who fired Brian Kelly eight games into his fourth season at the school.
Kiffin turned the Rebels into a consistent national power, going 32-6 over the past three seasons. This year, Ole Miss is 11-1, setting a program record for regular season wins, and is widely projected to make the 12-team College Football Playoff field.
To pry Kiffin away from a good situation, LSU had to pay up — to say the least.
According to The Daily Advertiser, part of USA TODAY Co., Kiffin has signed a seven-year deal with the Tigers that’s worth $91 million. Here’s what to know of Kiffin’s reported contract details and salary at LSU:
Lane Kiffin LSU contract, salary details
- Length: 7 years
- Total contract money: $91 million
- Average annual value (AAV): $13 million
Kiffin’s average annual earnings of $13 million will make him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football. Only Georgia’s Kirby Smart, at $13.28 million, made more during the 2024 season, according to USA TODAY Sports’ coaches salary database.
It’s a considerable pay bump from the $9 million Kiffin was making at Ole Miss, which tied him with Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, Tennessee’s Josh Heupel and Kentucky’s Mark Stoops as the 10th-highest-paid coach in college football.
If Kiffin were to win a national title at LSU, his annual compensation would automatically increase to make him the highest-paid coach in the country.
In perhaps the most interesting twist to the deal, LSU has agreed to pay Kiffin’s postseason bonuses, even though he won’t be coaching Ole Miss in the playoff. That means he could make up to $1 million if the Rebels end up winning the national championship.
Lane Kiffin LSU buyout
If Kiffin were to be fired by LSU without cause while he’s under contract, he would be owed 80% of his remaining salary, according to the term sheet obtained by The Advocate.
That buyout would be paid out in monthly installments for the remainder of the deal. Additionally, it doesn’t include any mitigation or offset clause if Kiffin were to get another job after being fired. The buyout terms are particularly notable after Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry decried lengthy coaching contracts with hefty buyouts in a news conference shortly after Kelly was fired, a move that came with a $54 million buyout.
‘Right now, we’ve got a $53 million liability,’ Landry said. ‘We are not doing that again. And you know what? I believe that we’re going to find a great coach. I may even let President (Donald) Trump pick it. He loves winners. I’m not going to be picking the next coach, but I can promise you, we’re going to pick a coach and we’re going to make sure that coach is successful and we’re going to make sure that he’s compensated properly and we’re going to put metrics on it. Because I’m tired of rewarding failure in this country.”
Lane Kiffin record
Kiffin is 117-53 in 14 years as a college head coach, going 7-6 in one year at Tennessee, 28-15 in four years at USC, 27-13 in three years at Florida Atlantic and 55-19 in six years at Ole Miss.
