Tiger Stadium had the feel of a major event long before kickoff Saturday, and Lane Kiffin only added to the scene when he arrived for his first LSU home game with two of the most recognizable faces in the mix.
Victory Hill was packed early, with police lining the route as fans pressed in under the oak trees and toward the stadium gates. LSU officials said the Clemson game drew the most media and celebrity credentials in Tiger Stadium history, a building that opened in 1924. College GameDay was already on campus, and the buzz around Kiffin’s pricey roster rebuild had made this one of the sport’s most watched openers.
Then came the walk.
Kiffin made his way down Victory Hill with Livvy Dunne, Theo Von and Brooks Nader beside him, a moment captured on video by On3’s Wilson Alexander and also shown by ESPN. The group moved through a crowd that was more than ready for a show.
Dunne hardly needs an introduction in Baton Rouge. The retired LSU gymnast has become one of the biggest crossover stars in college sports, and she recently drew attention after beach photos with boyfriend Paul Skenes sparked debate online about the Pirates pitcher. Her presence only heightened the theater around Kiffin’s first LSU home game.
Nader brought her own LSU connection to the scene. Born and raised in Baton Rouge, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model has remained tied to the program, and she previously went viral after a wardrobe malfunction at Miami Swim Week. Von, the comedian and podcast host, completed the group.
Kiffin’s arrival has been building for months. He left Ole Miss for a reported $91 million deal and stepped into a roster backed by a nine-figure investment. Saturday was the first chance for fans to see that group in action, and the walk to the stadium made the whole thing feel even bigger.
The reactions came quickly online, with fans leaning hard into the spectacle.
“This might be worse than Colorado,” one fan wrote.
“Skenes just letting his girl hang out with Kiffin? Brave… Or stupid,” another asked.
“His Charlie’s Angels,” said a third.
“You can’t tell bro he ain’t the star,” someone offered.
“This is the new Deion Sanders,” someone else claimed.
Whether Kiffin’s celebrity entourage becomes part of the routine in Baton Rouge is still to be determined. For now, he’ll be hoping the result against Clemson matches the attention that followed him down Victory Hill.
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When the show came back, it did so from inside an empty theater, a sharp contrast to the packed scene fans expected from one of college footballs biggest opening weekends. The interruption and relocation quickly became part of the conversation around the day, a strange little pregame wrinkle that stood out almost as much as the matchup itself. [Read more 🡒]