Dec 1, 2025 - Sports

Inside Lane Kiffin's contract

Chelsea Brasted

A man wearing an Ole Miss visor and hoodie stands with his hands on his hips. — Lane Kiffin's LSU contract is a significant increase over his salary at Ole Miss, which was paying him about $9 million this year, according to USA Today. Photo: Justin Ford/Getty Images

Officially an LSU Tiger, Lane Kiffin will make about $13 million annually on a seven-year contract coaching the school's football team, according to The Advocate's Wilson Alexander.

Why it matters: After so many complaints that LSU is still on the hook for former head coach Brian Kelly's $54 million buyout, there was bound to be a close eye on the terms of Kiffin's new deal.

Follow the money: Kiffin will be the second-highest-paid coach in college football, trailing Georgia's Kirby Smart, who earns a $13.28 million salary, according to a USA Today database.

Yes, but: He has a pathway to becoming the most well-paid — if he wins a national title.

Kiffin would earn an extra $1 million if the Tigers win an SEC title, and another $3 million if they win the national championship, Wilson reports.

Between the lines: If LSU fires Kiffin without cause before his contract's end, he'd still earn 80% of his remaining salary, paid monthly.

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Inside Lane Kiffin's contract

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