LSU finalized a mega commitment to Lane Kiffin, signing the 50-year-old coach to a seven-year, $91 million contract, according to a copy of the term sheet obtained Monday by The Advocate through a public records request.
Kiffin is slated to earn $13 million annually, making him among the highest-paid coaches in college football. Georgia’s Kirby Smart led the sport this season with a $13.28 million base salary, according to USA Today.
Before incentives, Kiffin, Smart and Ohio State’s Ryan Day are the only FBS coaches surpassing $12 million per year, forming a pay tier reserved for either national champions and Kiffin. Now, he will now chase his first title as a head coach in Baton Rouge.
What happens if Lane Kiffin wins a national championship?
Kiffin owns a 117-53 career record across 14 seasons as a collegiate head coach. At Ole Miss, his rebuilding standard yielded four 10-win seasons in his final five years, capped by an 11-1 campaign and the program’s best regular season this fall.
Kiffin’s contract also includes automatic escalation language. Should he win a national championship at LSU, his annual compensation would immediately rise to make him the highest-paid coach in the country. That provision elevates LSU’s bet beyond precedent. It also shows both performance pressure and institutional faith in Kiffin.
What are Lane Kiffin’s incentives?
None of the incentives in Kiffin's contract was immediately known. However, a review of Kiffin’s Ole Miss incentives provides context for his earning potential, if LSU matched. His prior deal built bonuses across bowl tiers, conference wins and postseason participation — including $150,000 for reaching the CFP, $250,000 for a quarterfinal berth, $500,000 for the semifinals, $750,000 for the final and $1 million for a championship. Personal accolade bonuses included $50,000 for SEC Coach of the Year and $100,000 for National Coach of the Year. He also got up to $200,000 for strong ticket sales tied to 40,000-plus non-student season tickets, plus APR academic bonuses of $100,000 for scores above 950 and $150,000 for scores above 975.
Ole Miss supplemented his contract with major perks, including 30 annual private air-travel hours, two program automobiles, country-club membership, stadium suite access and 18 postseason priority tickets.
LSU’s shift from Brian Kelly to Kiffin arrives on the heels of legal and political backlash around guarantees. Kelly was fired Oct. 26 with six years left and owed a $54 million buyout, resolved only after Kelly sued the LSU Board of Supervisors. Gov. Jeff Landry publicly called that buyout a “liability.” Kelly’s attorneys were expected to withdraw the suit last Monday.
What's the buyout for Lane Kiffin?
LSU’s new contract differs sharply: The school would owe Kiffin 80% of his remaining salary if he is fired without cause, paid monthly through the end of the term. That would be $72.8 million as of right now. Notably, the deal lacks mitigation or offset language if Kiffin were to secure another job, a structure that could heighten long-term fiscal exposure.
Landry, who previously urged LSU to lean on incentives and reduce guaranteed costs, may get his test case. LSU weighed incentive-heavy models in its Kelly divorce but ultimately leaned on guarantee power to secure Kiffin.
For LSU, the wager has a championship-level returns from a championship-starved coach, backed by a championship-priced contract. Whether Kiffin’s first title chase ends in a happy ending or buyout debate, it will reshape Baton Rouge.
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