Lane Kiffin’s coaching decision appears to be trending toward LSU, according to FOX Sports college football insider Bruce Feldman, who reported Saturday that sources around the negotiations believe the Tigers hold momentum.
Kiffin spent the past week deflecting questions about leaving No. 6 Ole Miss, which locked up the program’s first College Football Playoff berth with a 38-19 win over Mississippi State on Friday.
The Rebels finished 11-1 in the regular season, their best mark in school history, and the day after the rivalry game was informally set as “Decision Day” after athletic director Keith Carter sought clarity following the Egg Bowl.
Despite Carter’s public optimism and “many pointed and positive conversations," Kiffin has remained non-committal, saying only that he had “a lot of praying” to do before making one of the biggest decisions of his career. Feldman, however, reported that industry expectations increasingly lean toward Baton Rouge.
"LSU sources Saturday morning are “very confident” that Kiffin is going to accept the Tigers’ offer to take over," Feldman wrote.
LSU has a seven-year contract on the table, valued near $100 million. Feldman noted the appeal is not solely financial. LSU have won three national championships under three different head coaches since 2003, proof of a talent infrastructure built to compete annually with Alabama and Georgia.
The competitiveness of that structure and the chance to win immediately on the sport’s biggest stage is viewed by insiders close to Feldman’s reporting as a force pulling Kiffin toward LSU.
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