By Rowan Fisher-ShottonShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberLane Kiffin’s move to LSU after an 11-1 season at Ole Miss officially closed on Sunday and he was introduced Monday at Tiger Stadium, telling donors and media he sees LSU as a "different" job and a national-title destination.
The hire was announced amid a chaotic 48-hour stretch that included Kiffin leaving Oxford in the middle of a College Football Playoff push.
The fallout from the cross-SEC move was swift, with multiple reports noting LSU’s early transfer‑portal losses and recruiting uncertainty in the wake of Kiffin’s arrival.
Kiffin’s latest recruiting blow came Tuesday, when Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett reported that 4‑star WR Kenny Darby had decommitted from LSU.
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Darby, a 6-0, 175-pound prospect out of Airline High School in Bossier City, Louisiana, had pledged to LSU in November 2024 after de-committing earlier from Mississippi State.
His scouting profile lists him as a high-volume, vertical threat whose breakout season came in 2023 as a sophomore when he posted 561 yards and nine TDs on 35 catches.
He followed that up with 100 catches for 1,764 yards (17.6 yards per reception) and 24 TDs as a junior in 2024.
Rivals ranks him as the No. 30 wide receiver in the 2026 class and the No. 6 prospect in Louisiana, with more than 20 offers from major programs including Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Houston.
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Darby was a key piece of LSU’s 2026 class — an in‑state, four‑star receiver with the length and production SEC programs covet.
Losing him weakens LSU’s ability to pair local recruiting momentum with Kiffin’s early attempts to flip or secure elite Louisiana talent.
It also shows how a massive coaching change, even with a blue‑chip hire, can swing recruiting momentum — and not always for the better.
Kiffin left Ole Miss during their best season in program history, prompting criticism about timing and stewardship, while others emphasized LSU’s power to pay and recruit at an elite level.
That tension explains why assistants, current players, and recruits are already reconsidering their loyalty.
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