By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
LSU will be picking up the tab for Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff and another buyout after taking its coach, Lane Kiffin, over the weekend.
If No. 7 Ole Miss (11-1, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) makes the 12-team College Football Playoff field, Kiffin’s contract with Ole Miss says he must be paid a $150,000 bonus. The Rebels are considered a lock for the playoffs and to host an opening round game on Dec. 19 or 20.
And if Ole Miss wins the national championship this season, Kiffin must receive a $1 million bonus.
LSU has agreed to pick up both of those payments, according to LSU athletic department sources, as well as the $3 million buyout Kiffin owes Ole Miss for leaving with six years left on his contract here. LSU is already in the process of paying former coach Brian Kelly a $54 million buyout after his firing without cause on Oct. 26 just four years into a 10-year, $100 million contract.
It’s over. Lane Kiffin is LSU’s next football coach. Press conference introducing him set for Monday at LSU.https://t.co/kTRsVE78Of
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) November 30, 2025
Kiffin signed his new, seven-year, $91 million contract on Saturday before flying to Baton Rouge on Sunday and beginning work as the Tigers’ new head football coach. He was busy retaining and/or hiring new assistant coaches on Sunday night and Monday morning
LSU DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR BLAKE BAKER MAY BE STAYING
Current LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker is reportedly expected to be retained by Kiffin in that capacity as Kiffin’s likely first choice – Ole Miss’ Pete Golding – was promoted from defensive coordinator to Kiffin’s replacement as head coach on Sunday. Golding will coach the Rebels in the College Football Playoff and beyond.
The Eagle has landed. Good luck to Ole Miss in playoffs without him – four double-digit win seasons in last 5 years at Ole Miss, which had 2 from 1972 through 2020.https://t.co/fcxS52CDdg
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) December 1, 2025
Baker has drastically improved LSU’s defense since taking over before the 2024 season for defensive coordinator Matt House.
-LSU’s 2023 defense under House finished 115th in pass defense (255.6 yards allowed a game) … Baker’s 2025 defense finished the regular season No. 25 against the pass (202.5 yards).
-LSU’s 2023 defense finished 114th in third down conversions allowed (44 percent) … Baker’s 2025 defense finished No. 21 (33 percent.).
-LSU’s 2023 defense finished 105th in total defense (416.6 yards allowed a game) … Baker’s 2025 defense finished 25th (319.7 yards a game).
Baker’s defense did collapse in the fourth quarter in two of the Tigers’ losses in a 7-5 regular season in 2025 (3-5 SEC).
Ole Miss went 75 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown and 24-13 lead with 11:08 to play in the game on Sept. 27 at Oxford. After LSU cut that to 24-19 with 5:04 to play, Ole Miss kept the ball for the rest of the game, moving 56 yards in 11 plays and garnering three first downs.
And Oklahoma drove 84 yards in three plays in 48 seconds for the go-ahead touchdown with 4:16 to play in a 17-13 win on Saturday in Norman.
Kiffin was also busy calling high school recruits on Sunday night before the dead period began on Monday, leading into the early signing period that starts on Wednesday and runs through Friday.
Kiffin will be officially introduced as LSU’s football coach at 3:30 p.m. Monday in a press conference in Tiger Stadium.
“I am incredibly honored to have the opportunity to lead the storied LSU Football program,” Kiffin said in a release on Sunday. “From national championships to iconic players, LSU is synonymous with excellence and is among the most powerful brands in all of sports. Our staff will recruit the very best student-athletes in the country – starting at home in the state of Louisiana. And we will work tirelessly every day to bring championships that the LSU fans deserve. Geaux Tigers!”
Kiffin, 50, will be the second highest paid college football head coach in the country at $13 million a year, pending any raises or new contracts around the country. Two-time national champion Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is the highest paid college head coach at $13.28 million. Kiffin’s yearly salary at Ole Miss was $9 million.
Should LSU win a national championship under Kiffin, his new contract calls for him to receive a $3 million bonus. And he must automatically become the highest paid college football coach in the country. Kiffin will receive a $1 million bonus for winning any SEC championships.
If LSU fires Kiffin without cause, as it did with Kelly, it would owe Kiffin 80 percent of the salary still owed to him, depending on how many years remain on the seven-year deal.
If Kiffin decides to leave LSU for an NFL head coaching job or another college football head coaching job after the 2026 season, he – or the team or school that hires him – would owe LSU $7 million. That total would decrease by approximately $1 million for each year Kiffin stays at LSU.
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