Report: LSU 'confident' as Lane Kiffin ponders his next step

Field Level Media|published: Sat 29th November, 16:46 2025

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin walks off the field during a college football game between Mississippi State and Ole Miss at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss., on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. The Egg Bowl game marks the 122nd meeting between the two teams.

Lane Kiffin is expected to announce Saturday whether he will accept a lucrative offer to leave Ole Miss for LSU, and officials in Baton Rouge are "very confident" Kiffin will be coaching the Tigers in 2026, The Athletic reported.

LSU reportedly has offered Kiffin a seven-year deal worth approximately $100 million. That would put his salary above that of Georgia's Kirby Smart, the highest-paid college coach at $13.3 million a year, and represent a significant increase over the $9 million Kiffin now makes, according to the USA Today coaches salary database.

Kiffin, 50, has led the Rebels to an 11-1 record and a probable berth in the College Football Playoff.

In six seasons at Ole Miss, Kiffin has a 55-19 record (.743) that has attracted the attention and deep pockets of Southeastern Conference rivals LSU and Florida -- both of which fired their coaches in October.

"I guess no one in the entire state has ever had an 11-win regular season, so that's pretty cool," Kiffin said. "Especially since the SEC has never been harder or deeper than it is now."

Speculation over whether Kiffin will jump to the Tigers or the Gators has reached soap-operatic proportions over the last month, but Kiffin promised to bring the storyline to a conclusion on Saturday. He also claimed, as of Friday afternoon, not to know which school he'll pick.

There are reports, however, that Florida has moved out of range and has its eye on other candidates, operating with the belief that Kiffin is not as interested in the Gators as the Rebels or Tigers.

--Field Level Media