(Photo: Newsweek)
I’ve followed Lane Kiffin for quite some time, going back to when he was hired as the head coach of the then–Oakland Raiders. When Al Davis brought him aboard, he became the youngest head coach in the league at just 31 years old. After one season, Lane was fired, and in 2009 he accepted the job at the University of Tennessee to be their next head coach, once again becoming the youngest coach in the country at 33 years old. In 2010, he left Knoxville and made his way to Southern California to become the head coach of the USC Trojans. After being fired by USC, Lane returned to Alabama to serve as Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator. Most recently, he has been the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels and has made them relevant again, accumulating a record of 55–19 — the third-winningest mark in program history. After the LSU Tigers and Florida Gators each fired their head coaches mid-season, Lane was linked to both jobs, and rightfully so. Today, the rumors came to an end: the LSU Tigers have hired Lane as their next head coach.
Lane is one of the ten best coaches in the nation. I’ve always believed that some coaches are better suited for the NFL or college, while others have the rare ability to succeed at both levels — Jim Harbaugh being a great example. Lane has clearly made his mark as a college coach and has become one of the more innovative minds on the sidelines. He’s intelligent, adaptable, and has grown with the game, especially as it continues to evolve every year. Some coaches stay stuck in their ways and end up pushed out or forced to retire, but that hasn’t been Lane. He’s adjusted to the modern landscape of college football, taking full advantage of the transfer portal and Name, Image and Likeness (NIL). These tools exist for a reason, and he’s used them effectively. Lane has also become one of the sport’s more colorful personalities, but what stands out most is how much his players love playing for him. They leave everything on the field, which shows how much they respect him and want to compete for him. What he’s done at Ole Miss — particularly this season — speaks for itself, as he led them to one of their best records in years. I also believe his experience coaching in the SEC has helped him tremendously, dating back to his time at Tennessee and even spending a few years under Saban in Tuscaloosa. In the SEC, you either make it or you don’t; the conference isn’t for everybody.
After all the speculation and rumors, it finally happened. Many people seem frustrated with the decision, but moves like this happen every single year. Brian Kelly left South Bend to become LSU’s head coach after the 2021 season. Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma to take over at USC. Even Deion Sanders left Jackson State for Colorado. Now, Lane enters this new chapter in Baton Rouge with an enormous amount of pressure — and understandably so. The three coaches before him (Saban, Les Miles, and Ed Orgeron) all won national titles with this program. The Tigers haven’t won a championship since 2019 and are eager to return to their winning ways. They entered this season with lofty expectations and struggled badly, to the point that they fired Brian Kelly mid-season — which should tell you something.
