Lane Kiffin is headed to Baton Rouge, and while that move sends shockwaves through the SEC, it turns out LSU might not have been his first choice. According to Todd McShay, who’s been dialed into Kiffin’s inner circle for years, the Ole Miss head coach had his eyes on a different prize - the Alabama job.
The timing of his decision, announced just after the Iron Bowl, wasn’t a coincidence. It was calculated.
McShay revealed that Kiffin’s camp had LSU locked in before the weekend, but they were waiting on one key domino to fall: the Iron Bowl. If Auburn had pulled off the upset over Alabama, the ripple effect could’ve changed everything. Suddenly, the Alabama job might’ve been in play - and that’s the one Kiffin really wanted.
It’s a fascinating wrinkle in the already tangled web of SEC coaching drama. Kiffin, who famously clashed and collaborated with Nick Saban during his time as Alabama’s offensive coordinator, still holds the Crimson Tide job in high regard.
Despite the tension between the two, there’s a mutual respect that’s endured. And according to McShay, even with LSU all but locked up, there was still a sliver of hope in Kiffin’s mind that Auburn might shake things up and open the door to Tuscaloosa.
But the Iron Bowl didn’t break that way. Alabama held off Auburn, and with Kalen DeBoer still at the helm in Tuscaloosa - albeit under pressure - the Tide didn’t make a move.
That left Kiffin to go with the option already on the table: LSU. It’s a massive hire for the Tigers, even if they were second in line on Kiffin’s wish list.
And the fallout? It’s not just about LSU, Alabama, and Ole Miss.
The Iron Bowl’s impact stretched across four programs. Had Auburn won, Alabama could have made a run at Kiffin, reshuffling the SEC deck entirely.
Auburn, in turn, was reportedly ready to promote defensive coordinator DJ Durkin if they’d pulled off the upset. And over in Tampa, USF was likely losing head coach Alex Golesh regardless, but the coaching carousel could’ve spun even faster depending on how the dominoes fell.
Instead, LSU lands one of the most dynamic offensive minds in college football, and Ole Miss finds itself scrambling just as it was eyeing a potential College Football Playoff berth. The irony? Kiffin’s move might have been timed to avoid that exact scenario - leaving before a postseason run could complicate things further.
As for Alabama, the Tide avoided a post-Iron Bowl meltdown, but the pressure on DeBoer isn’t going anywhere. He’s got to win big - and soon - to quiet the noise. Because if things go sideways in 2026, don’t be surprised if Kiffin’s name resurfaces in Tuscaloosa once again.
For now, LSU gets its man. But the SEC coaching drama? That’s far from over.