Five takeaways: LSU football hires Lane Kiffin as next head coach

LSU football found its next head coach, poaching Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss. Kiffin's services were in high demand this coaching cycle. Not only was Kiffin LSU's top target, but he was atop Florida's wishlist, too. As LSU and Florida fought to woo Kiffin, Ole Miss made its best effort to retain its head coach.

LSU won the battle. It wasn't cheap, though. Kiffin is set to be one of the highest-paid coaches in the sport with an average annual salary that approaches Georgia's Kirby Smart.

Kiffin arrived at LSU on Sunday and got to work right away. He was seen talking to LSU interim head coach Frank Wilson and meeting with No. 1-ranked LSU commit Lamar Brown.

Leaving Ole Miss, Kiffin was forced to exit a team on the verge of the College Football Playoff. Kiffin, very publicly, made his desire to coach Ole Miss in the postseason clear, but he and the Ole Miss brass didn't see eye to eye.

Here are five takeaways as a new era of LSU football begins.

1. LSU football gets its No. 1 target

Kiffin was LSU's top priority. The Tigers didn't cast a wide net with this coaching search. LSU locked in on Kiffin and went all out to get its No. 1 guy.

There were reports that LSU saw Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz and Tulane's Jon Sumrall as viable backup options, but LSU didn't get that far down the road with either. That signaled LSU's confidence in landing Kiffin was high.

LSU had to battle Florida and Ole Miss for Kiffin, but as Florida started to interview other candidates, it became clear that LSU pulled ahead of the Gators. With the decision down to LSU and Ole Miss, the longer Kiffin went without signing that Ole Miss extension, the more obvious it became that he was on his way to Baton Rouge.

2. LSU gets a proven winner in the SEC

The term "proven winner" is relative because at LSU, the standard is winning the SEC and a national championship. Kiffin didn't do those things at Ole Miss, but also, it was Ole Miss. It's not easy to win at Ole Miss, yet Kiffin won double-digit games in three straight seasons for the first time in program history.

Ole Miss has won 10 games nine times since 1960 -- Kiffin was the coach for four of those seasons. When the final AP Poll is released, it'll be the third-straight year Ole Miss finishes ranked. That hasn't happened since 1969-71.

It's rare for an SEC team to hire a coach who already has this many wins under their belt with another SEC squad.

3. There's a strong chance Kiffin retains LSU's defensive staff

LSU's defense finished the 2025 regular season ranked top 10 in SP+. Two years ago, LSU's defense was one of the worst in the Power Four. Blake Baker took over the unit in 2024 and brought immediate improvement. Brian Kelly made some bad decisions as LSU's head coach, but hiring Baker wasn't one of them.

On Monday, it was reported that Baker is expected to be retained by Kiffin and LSU. That means a significant chunk of the defensive staff could stick around, too.

A couple of LSU assistants, safeties coach Jake Olsen and defensive ends coach Kevin Peoples, came with Baker from Missouri. They're Baker's guys and its hard to see them going anywhere if Baker is back.

LSU secondary coach Corey Raymond is in his third stint at LSU and has built an elite group of defensive backs in 2025. Kelly fired Raymond when he got the job in 2021, only to bring Raymond back two years later.

Defensive line coach Kyle Williams is a former LSU player and did good work with LSU's defensive tackles in 2025. Its not hard to see Williams being retained, too, especially with the turnover LSU's had at defensive line coach the last 10 years.

Will the entire defensive staff stick together? Probably not just due to the natural coming and going that occurs in the offseason, but the core of the group will remain in Baton Rouge.

4. Kiffin will bring offensive fireworks to LSU

LSU built some historic offenses in recent years. The 2019 and 2023 units were led by Heisman Quarterbacks and set multiple records.

But LSU's 2025 offense was a far cry from the heights of Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels. The Tigers' offense finished the regular season 90th in SP+ and is what ultimately led to the demise of head coach Brian Kelly.

Kiffin is one of the top offensive minds in the sport and should bring immediate upgrades to that side of the ball. From 2020-25, Ole Miss leads the nation with 25.3 first downs per game and 503 total yards per game. In the same span, only Ohio State and Oregon have had a better PPA/play.

5. LSU and Lane Kiffin both really, really need this to work

LSU is all in on Lane Kiffin and Lane Kiffin is all in on LSU. LSU's program is at a crossroads, while Kiffin's career is at a crossroads.

LSU hasn't made the College Football Playoff since 2019. Meanwhile, a collection of SEC programs has made the CFP in recent years and that list will get longer when the 2025 field is announced this weekend. LSU needs to be relevant again and it needs to happen fast. LSU got used to winning national titles when three-straight head coaches -- Saban, Miles, and Orgeron -- won it all in Baton Rouge. Brian Kelly broke that streak.

For Kiffin, he must prove the grass is, in fact, greener in Baton Rouge. His exit from Oxford was messy and he jumped to one of Ole Miss's chief rivals. Kiffin is betting on himself, betting on what LSU can do for him, and what he can do for LSU.

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