OXFORD, Miss. — The Lane Kiffin saga is finally coming to an end.
LSU is expected to hire Kiffin away from Ole Miss on Sunday, sources told ESPN. A source cautioned that Kiffin’s deal with the Tigers was not signed as of late Saturday but added that it “would be a shock” if he didn’t sign it.
Should Kiffin agree to the contract, LSU will pay him around $12 million annually across seven seasons, with the potential for bonuses, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in the sport, according to a source.
Meanwhile, an Ole Miss source tells ESPN that defensive coordinator Pete Golding is expected to be the Rebels’ new head coach. “It’s 100-percent permanent,” the source said
Kiffin, 50, and the Rebels just wrapped up an 11-1 regular season with a 38-19 win over rival Mississippi State, all but assuring them a berth in the 12-team College Football Playoff. That said, the expectation among Ole Miss officials is that Kiffin will not coach the Rebels in the CFP, barring an unexpected change.
Editor’s Picks
2 Related
After saying he would decide Saturday whether he’ll coach at Ole Miss or LSU in 2026, Kiffin met with Rebels athletics director Keith Carter and chancellor Glenn Boyce for a couple of hours at the chancellor’s home in Oxford.
But the day came and went without an announcement.
There was a growing sense at Ole Miss on Saturday that Kiffin might coach the Rebels in one more game if they clinched a spot in next week’s SEC championship game in Atlanta.
However, No. 10 Alabama’s 27-20 victory at rival Auburn in Saturday night’s Iron Bowl eliminated the Rebels. The Crimson Tide will play No. 4 Georgia for the SEC title.
While Florida and LSU courted Kiffin, Carter and Boyce were adamant that he wouldn’t be allowed to coach the Rebels in the CFP if Kiffin took a job with an SEC rival. Kiffin had lobbied the Ole Miss administrators to change their minds, but Carter and Boyce dug in their heels on that issue.
Ole Miss doesn’t want Kiffin around its players with the transfer portal opening on Jan. 2. The Rebels also don’t want their CFP games to be a “commercial” for LSU’s future under Kiffin.
Even with Kiffin potentially leaving, the Rebels will probably still be in the mix to host a first-round CFP game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Dec. 19 or 20.
