Lane Kiffin’s move to LSU has already put him in rare company, at least in one recent SEC coaching ranking.
On3’s Crain & Cone podcast slotted Georgia’s Kirby Smart at No. 1 and Kiffin right behind him at No. 2, ahead of Texas’ Steve Sarkisian, Texas A&M’s Mike Elko and Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer. That puts Kiffin in front of coaches who have all guided their programs to playoff appearances during their current tenures.
The hosts made clear that the margin between Kiffin and Sarkisian was razor-thin. In their view, Kiffin gets the edge because he’d be the coach they would choose for their own teams if the roster were the same.
“But it's not by much. And I can 100% understand someone saying Sarkisian being ranked ahead of Lane,” said Jake Crain.
The conversation also centered on Kiffin’s run at Ole Miss, where he left for LSU during the Rebels’ first playoff berth. Ole Miss played those three postseason games under interim coach Pete Goulding, but the hosts credited Kiffin for building the team that got there in the first place.
“He technically hasn't won a playoff game, but that was Lane Kiffin's team in the playoffs,” said Blain Crain.
That point mattered in the discussion because, as the show noted, Mississippi doesn’t have the same kind of resources Texas does. Even so, Kiffin still got the Rebels to a place they had never been before.
Now he’s at LSU with a very different setup. The podcast pointed to a No. 1 recruiting class for 2026 and $40 million as part of the opportunity in Baton Rouge. In their telling, that leaves Kiffin with no shortage of backing and no shortage of expectation.
“The beautiful part about it is, there are no more excuses. You're at LSU, buddy,” said Jake.
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