The 2025 college football playoffs saw the Miami Hurricanes triumph over Ole Miss 31-27 in the Fiesta Bowl semifinals at Glendale, with the Hurricanes slated to play the finals on 20th January on their home turf.
With the Hurricanes starting off their playoff leg of the season as the No. 10 seed, they have certainly exceeded many expectations, considering their dream run to the finals, which included beating the likes of Texas A&M, Ohio State, and Ole Miss.
However, one of the most talked-about events of the 2025 season was Lane Kiffin’s departure from Ole Miss to join LSU as their new head coach. Kiffin made the transition to Louisiana just before Ole Miss started their playoff leg of the season.
In his absence, the Pete Golding-led side beat the likes of Tulane and Georgia in the playoffs before eventually succumbing to Miami in the semifinals.
This prompted sportscaster Dan Patrick on his show to dissect the entire Ole Miss situation surrounding Kiffin’s abrupt departure from Oxford. During the show, Patrick mentioned that Lane miscalculated his departure from Ole Miss, suggesting that Kiffin thought the Rebels would bow out of the season early and hence took the LSU gig.
But one thing that did not sit right with Patrick was Kiffin’s reported interest in being a part of the ESPN broadcast crew during one of Ole Miss’ playoff games, accusing him of stealing the spotlight from his former players and the team that got Ole Miss their playoff success.
“When I saw that Lane was maybe going to join the broadcast or be part of the pregame, I go, “No, no, let these kids have their moment” “, patrick stated on his show (3:00).
“You could have had it. You chose to take the money and run and then you decide to loan out your assistant coaches”, he further elaborated (3:10).
Dan’s scathing attack on Kiffin, accusing him of running after money, comes on the backdrop of Kiffin signing a seven-year, $91 million contract as LSU’s new head coach ahead of the 2026 season.
How Much Money Did Lane Kiffin Earn During Ole Miss’ Playoff Run
Part of Kiffin’s LSU contract also had a playoff bonus incentive for the head coach, perhaps put in by the Tigers to further lure him into taking the job. The clause was contingent on Ole Miss’ playoff performance, with each win resulting in Kiffin earning a bonus simply by virtue of being the Rebels’ ex-head coach.
After beating the likes of Tulane and Georgia, the Rebels qualified for the CFB semifinals, which gave Kiffin a total of $900,000 in bonus incentives.
Had Ole Miss reached the finals, Kiffin would’ve been paid an additional $750,000, with that figure rising to $1 million had they won the national championship.
Read More:
- “You’re Definitely Happy Right Now”: Fans React as Lane Kiffin Posts Cryptic LSU Tweet After Ole Miss Season Ends in Disappointment
- Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Chaos Compared To $13,000,000,000 NFL Empire Owner As Ole Miss Claims ‘America’s Team’ Status, Per Analyst
- “It’s Selfish and It’s Stupid”: Jimbo Fisher Rips Lane Kiffin Over Ole Miss Assistants Chaos During CFP Run
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