Lane Kiffin was among the most controversial coaches in the 2025 college football season after leaving Ole Miss in the middle of its playoff run and joining LSU as Brian Kelly’s replacement.
The Tigers have promised to give Kiffin a real opportunity to win his first national championship as a head coach by investing heavily in NIL.
Talking about the pressure on Kiffin to have a successful year at LSU in his first season there as a coach, ESPN analyst and Aaron Rodgers’ brother Jordan Rodgers said on Monday on First Take:
“Lane Kiffin has to reach the national championship game, or it’s a failure. If he can’t get further than he did at Ole Miss with more resources at LSU, then what are we even doing here? If you look at this roster, and I’m not even talking about how much money LSU is spending over the next six or seven years, to field the 2026 version of LSU, they’re spending over $100 million.
“That’s $54 million to have Brian Kelly not coach them. That’s $40 million plus to a roster you built through the NIL portal. And you have $13 million for Lane Kiffin.
”That’s over $100 million. If you can’t get further than Ole Miss did last year with a quarterback that nobody wanted that came from the FCS level, albeit he’s a stud, love him, that was a great get by Ole Miss. But if you can’t get that far, if not further, it’s a failure.”
Paul Finebaum Makes Thoughts Clear on Expectations From Lane Kiffin As LSU
During an appearance on “SEC Nation” with four other guests, Paul Finebaum set the expectations from Lane Kiffin straight and said that if he fails to do a College Football Playoff run, it would be a talking point of the season.
“It’s really simple, and if he fails to do that [a CFP run], the hue and cry will be loud and vociferous,” said Finebaum. “But that is the expectation because not only the money paid to him, but also the money paid to the players. I mean, nobody did better in the portal. He’s got players across the board, and it’s incumbent to get there now.”
Kiffin signed a seven-year, $91M contract with LSU, which would pay him $13,000,000 annually.
Also Read:
- Brandon Aiyuk Takes Shot at 49ers in Cryptic Instagram Story: “Done Playing Backseat to Folks Who NOT Like That!”
- “John Harbaugh’s Gonna Be Mad”: Fans Rip Cam Skattebo After Awkward Landing During Backflip Stunt Amid Ankle Injury Rehab
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in tennis, college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
