Lane Kiffin And The Good Life: LSU Coach’s Vacation Log Via Private Plane Perk Falls Under His Contract

By PIPER HUTCHINSON, Louisiana Illuminator/Tiger Rag Magazine

LSU football coach Lane Kiffin took his family to Boca Raton, Florida, using his private airplane travel benefits at a cost of $40,000 to LSU donors, according to LSU Board of Supervisors documents. 

Kiffin’s employment contract allows him 65 hours of private air travel for personal use, a perk that is not unusual for head football coaches, but one that former head coach Brian Kelly did not have and other LSU coaches are not currently granted. Kelly did have a longer contract, however, at approximately $100 million over 10 years, and he is in the process of collecting a $54 million buyout from that in monthly installments for several years after his firing without cause four years into the deal last October. Kiffin’s contract is for seven years at approximately $91 million.  

LSU athletics spokesman Zach Greenwell declined to respond to a request for comment regarding the number of hours Kiffin used for the trip to Boca Raton, which is home to Florida Atlantic University, where Kiffin coached from 2017-2019. 

The nearly $40,000 tab for the trip was paid by the Tiger Athletic Foundation (TAF) in March, though the report does not detail when the trip occurred or how long it was. 

The documents show the Tiger Athletic Foundation, a private entity that raises money for LSU athletics, also spent nearly $65,000 for four other private plane trips for business purposes, for Kiffin from January-March of this year. Kiffin’s ex-wife, Layla, children and nephew accompanied him for several of these business trips, which included recruiting visits and attending the Texas Bowl in December. 

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LSU and Kiffin entered into his employment agreement last December, but the agreement did not receive final Board approval until last month. Kiffin was hired by the university in late November after Kelly was fired on Oct. 26. Then-LSU athletic director Scott Woodward, who hired Kelly, was fired a few days later.

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’s contract pays him $13 million in annual compensation and millions of dollars in bonus compensation. 

Kiffin’s trip was funded by the TAF, but the bulk of his compensation is paid by the university itself. His contract also does not specify that the travel must be paid by private donors. 

Because Kiffin is a state employee, benefits he receives from a private entity affiliated with the university that exceed $1,000 must be reported to the board quarterly under Louisiana law.