Lane Kiffin didn’t leave much room for nostalgia when asked this week about his move from Ole Miss to LSU. When Brandon Walker pressed him on whether he ever reconsiders the decision, Kiffin shut it down fast.
“I’ve never thought twice about this decision,” Kiffin said.
That came during a 15-minute conversation on The Brandon Walker College Football Show, which aired Wednesday night after Kiffin had already spent part of LSU’s bye week on the SEC’s teleconference. The discussion touched on the Texas and Alabama games, along with LSU’s fourth-down choice to punt against Kentucky, but the center of gravity was Kiffin’s comfort level in Baton Rouge.
When Walker asked if the job has lived up to the picture Kiffin had in his head, the answer was even stronger.
“And even more,” Kiffin said. “From getting here and seeing when you play at home here and the stadium and the environment, and the state and the people, and how much support there is for football and then the kids in the state and how they play and how they love football.”
For Kiffin, the appeal hasn’t just been about the atmosphere around LSU. He also pointed to what he sees as the broader football upside of the job, even in a season that has had its share of turbulence.
“To see that we played already as well as anybody in the country at times and be a really dangerous team, we’re able to do that in an offseason like we’ve never had before,” Kiffin said. “We got here, and then our coaches are still coaching there and going back and forth, and didn’t know our current players on the team previously. So, as crazy as it sounds, we will always have better rosters than we do this year.”
That line about the roster speaks to the bigger picture Kiffin sees in Baton Rouge. Eight games into his first season, LSU is already in the middle of the adjustment period, and Kiffin’s message was that the best version of this program still sits ahead.
LSU entered 2026 with national championship expectations, then found itself 4-2 and three spots from falling out of the top 25. The losses raised plenty of questions about Kiffin’s choices, the makeup of the roster and, above all, the quarterback situation.
Meanwhile, Ole Miss rolled along with just one loss and looked like the team at the top of the sport.
Now, though, LSU and Ole Miss sit just three spots behind the Rebels and own the best offense and defense in the SEC. For LSU fans, that has been enough to ease the temperature around the season.
And for Kiffin, the answer hasn’t changed at all. He remains convinced he made the right move.
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