LSU head coach Lane Kiffin may be in the thick of assembling the nation’s top-ranked transfer portal class, but that didn’t stop him from stepping away-albeit briefly-from the recruiting grind on Tuesday morning. With the NCAA Transfer Portal still buzzing, Kiffin made an appearance at the Leadership Power Breakfast hosted by the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report at the Hilton Capitol Center.
The timing? Let’s just say it was classic Kiffin. In the middle of finalizing a transfer class that could balloon to 40 players and is currently ranked No. 1 by 247Sports, the new LSU head coach took the stage with his signature blend of candor and charisma.
“Thanks for having me,” Kiffin said as he opened his remarks. “They told me a few days ago, ‘Hey, we have a breakfast,’ and I was like, ‘OK.’
And there were three recruits waiting. And (LSU athletic director) Verge (Ausberry) explained it all to me.
And I didn’t listen to anything. But we got the three recruits.”
That punchline landed, drawing laughter and applause from the crowd-proof that Kiffin’s off-the-cuff charm is already resonating in Baton Rouge.
Kiffin, who was officially introduced as LSU’s head coach on December 1 after six seasons at Ole Miss, kept his speech to a concise 13 minutes. But in that short window, he offered a glimpse into the decision-making process that brought him to Death Valley-and the voice behind it might surprise some.
It was none other than Nick Saban, the former LSU head coach who led the Tigers to their first national title since 1958 back in the 2003 season, who gave Kiffin the nudge he needed.
“He said, ‘You know, Lane, you’ll always regret it, if you don’t go to LSU. It’s the best job in America,’” Kiffin recalled. “That really made the decision for me.”
That’s high praise coming from a coach who knows a thing or two about program-building-and it speaks volumes about the gravity of the LSU job in the college football landscape.
Now, Kiffin is tasked with turning that promise into production. With the transfer portal class he’s assembling, it’s clear he’s wasting no time. LSU is making a hard push to reload quickly, and the Tigers’ aggressive portal strategy is a signal that Kiffin’s vision is already taking shape.
Whether or not this class delivers immediate results remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure: Lane Kiffin is all-in on LSU, and he’s bringing his trademark energy, recruiting savvy, and a few good one-liners along for the ride.