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Louisiana State University has agreed to pay newly hired head coach Lane Kiffin the bonuses he would've made at Ole Miss based on the Rebels' success in the College Football Playoff, according to the Advocate's Wilson Alexander, who cited a public records request.
"This has been updated to include a fascinating part of Lane Kiffin's deal: LSU agreed to pay his postseason bonuses even though he won't coach Ole Miss in the CFP, so he could still make up to $1 million if the Rebels win a national title without him," Alexander wrote on his X account, along with a link to his article about Kiffin's official hiring.
Kiffin's new deal with LSU will pay him $13 million annually, making him the second-highest paid coach behind only Georgia's Kirby Smart, who had a $13.28 million salary in 2025, according to a USA TODAY database. The deal was reportedly signed at some point on Saturday (November 29) prior to reports and Kiffin's own confirmation on Sunday (November 30)
Kiffin confirmed reports that he was leaving Ole Miss and accepting the same position at LSU and that he attempted to coach the Rebels in the College Football Playoff but will be prohibited from doing so, in a statement shared on his social media accounts.
"After a lot of prayer and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision to accept the head coaching position at LSU," Kiffin said. "I was hoping to complete a historic six season run with this year's team by leading Ole Miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on the team's incredible success and their commitment to finish strong, and investing everything into a playoff run with guardrails in place to protect the program in any areas of concern. My request to do so was denied by Keith Carter despite the team also asking him to allow me to keep coaching them so they could better maintain their high level of performance. Unfortunately, that means Friday's Egg Bowl was my last game coaching the Rebels.
"While I am looking forward to a new start with a unique opportunity at LSU, I will forever cherish the incredible six years I spent at Ole Miss and will be rooting hard for the team to complete their mission and bring a championship to Oxford."
Ole Miss has promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding as Kiffin's permanent replacement, On3.com's Pete Golding reported. The Rebels are coming off a 38-19 win against arch rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl on Friday (November 28), ending its regular season with an 11-1 (7-1 SEC) record with a likely spot in the College Football Playoff.
Kiffin surpassed David Cutcliffe as the third-winningest coach in Ole Miss history -- having previously tied Cutcliffe in 11 less games -- on Saturday and led the Rebels to double-digit wins in four of the last five seasons.