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Lane Kiffin is the next head coach of the LSU Tigers, but he won’t finish his 2025 season with the Ole Miss Rebels despite helping them reach a potential College Football Playoff berth.
But as part of his new deal with the Tigers, it appears Kiffin will be paid for the Rebels’ success if they were to compete for a national title.
LSU reportedly agreed to pay Kiffin the same bonuses he would receive with Ole Miss if they made the CFP, according to Nola.com. If the Rebels are in the final group selected by the CFP committee, Kiffin would receive $150,000 from Ole Miss just for playing one game in the first round.
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Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin in the fourth quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on November 2, 2024. (Nelson Chenault/Image Images)
Even better, Kiffin was set to earn $250,000 if the team reached the quarterfinals, $500,000 for a semifinal appearance and a whopping $750,000 if Ole Miss reached the national championship.
On the off chance that Ole Miss wins that title game, Kiffin would receive $1 million.
LANE KIFFIN POSTS CRYPTIC MESSAGE THE DAY AFTER ACCEPTING LSU HEAD COACHING JOB
While Kiffin made the decision to head to Baton Rouge next season, he wanted to finish the season as the Rebels’ head coach, no matter how far they went in the playoffs. However, he pointed the finger at Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter, who he said denied the request to remain at Ole Miss until the season ended.
“We went through a lot last night with Keith Carter trying to find a way to make this playoff run work and be able to coach the team. And at the end of the day, that’s his decision and I totally respect it. I understand that decision,” Kiffin told ESPN of Carter’s decision not to let him finish the season as the Rebels’ coach.
“I wish the team the best of luck, I wish I were a coach… I just hope they play very well and win the national championship.”
Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin throws a football before the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Oct. 25, 2025. (Kevin Jairaj/Image Images)
Kiffin said he spoke with college football coaching legends Pete Carroll and Nick Saban before making the decision to head to Baton Rouge.
“My heart was here. But I talked to some mentors: Coach Carroll, Coach Saban. Especially when Coach Carroll said, ‘Your dad would tell you to go. Take the shot.’
“I always hated how we took one year in Tennessee and left. I hated that feeling of that. I think we gave a lot to this program and this city and some of those historic wins in this stadium, the best regular season in school history. So I’m proud of that part. But the time came. I talked to God and he told me it’s time to take a new step. It’s a new chapter.”
Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding was named head coach to replace Kiffin at Oxford.
Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin during the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on October 25, 2025. (Kevin Jairaj/Image Images)
Details of Kiffin’s new deal with LSU have begun to emerge and he will reportedly earn $13 million per season with the Tigers, making him the second-highest-paid college coach in the country behind Georgia’s Kirby Smart.
However, the report also mentions that if Kiffin were to lead the Tigers to a national title, an escalator in his contract would make him the highest-paid coach.
