Lane Kiffin is expected to leave Mississippi for LSU on Sunday, with the Tigers offering a lucrative contract that would make him one of college football’s highest-paid coaches, ESPN reported early Sunday.
Kiffin had said he would decide Saturday whether to remain at Ole Miss or accept another position for the 2026 season, but no announcement came. ESPN and The Athletic reported Kiffin will meet with Ole Miss players at 10 a.m. EST, followed by an announcement.
LSU has reportedly offered Kiffin a seven-year deal worth approximately $100 million. That would exceed the salary of Georgia’s Kirby Smart, currently college football’s highest-paid coach at $13.3 million annually, and represent a significant raise from Kiffin’s current $9 million salary, according to the USA Today coaches salary database.
Both outlets reported LSU is confident Kiffin will accept the position.
Kiffin, 50, has led the Rebels to an 11-1 record and a likely berth in the 12-team College Football Playoff. Ole Miss officials reportedly prefer Kiffin not coach the team in the playoffs, which begin Dec. 19, if he won’t return in 2026.
Ole Miss missed a chance to play in the Southeastern Conference championship game against No. 4 Georgia after No. 10 Alabama defeated Auburn on Saturday night.
In six seasons at Ole Miss, Kiffin is 55-19 (.743), attracting interest from SEC rivals LSU and Florida, both of which fired their coaches in October.
Speculation about Kiffin’s future has intensified over the past month. He promised to decide by Saturday, though he claimed Friday afternoon he hadn’t made up his mind.
Florida has reportedly shifted focus to other candidates, believing Kiffin favors Ole Miss or LSU over the Gators.
Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter gave Kiffin a Nov. 29 deadline to decide. After Kiffin led the Rebels to their first 11-win regular season in the school’s 120-year history, his market value increased. Carter and chancellor Glenn Boyce reportedly met Saturday at the chancellor’s Oxford home without announcing a resolution.