Michigan had already turned the sport inside out. Hours after the Wolverines fired head coach Sherrone Moore, the industry pivoted toward Ann Arbor with the force of a playoff push. And standing at the center of it, loud as ever, was Michigan alum and Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy.
Portnoy is never shy about claiming a stake in Michigan’s fortunes, but this time he carried real weight. Last year, he played a huge role in orchestrating the NIL deal that convinced Bryce Underwood, the number one quarterback in America, to flip from LSU to Michigan. So when he spoke on Wednesday, fans listened.
He told Michigan supporters the program was “in a better place tonight than it was this morning.” He said the Wolverines still hold the best job in the game. He reminded everyone Michigan is “the straw that stirs the drink” in college football. And right in the middle of that patented Portnoy confidence, he fired off one more line designed to rattle an entire conference: double LSU’s money and hire Lane Kiffin.
Kiffin did not miss the moment.
Within hours he fired back with the kind of playful precision only he can deliver. Laughing emoji. Tiger emoji. Then the pitch.
“Instead you come to the Boot,” he told Portnoy. “Together we can’t be beat.”
😂 Instead @stoolpresidente You #ComeToTheBoot Together we can’t be beat! 🐯 https://t.co/YC6aAXO1Au
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) December 11, 2025
It was pure Kiffin. No panic. No explanation. No need to reassure LSU fans. Just a quick jab that flipped Portnoy’s Michigan fantasy into an LSU recruitment of Portnoy himself.
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And yet the exchange underscored something bigger. Michigan fires its coach. Its most famous fan jumps online and starts shaping the narrative. He cites the power of the brand. He teases elite candidates. He throws out Kiffin’s name. And the moment he does, one of the sport’s most recognizable coaches decides to join the theater.
Portnoy lit the spark. Kiffin made sure it burned a little brighter.
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