Lane Kiffin’s dramatic exit from Ole Miss and his move to LSU is still being sorted out, and we got even more of the story on Monday.
In a lengthy article about Kiffin’s departure from Oxford, The Athletic’s Christopher Kamrani and Joe Rexrode revealed new details about the lead-up to his decision to take the LSU job. It turns out, Kiffin almost signed an extension with Ole Miss just before leaving.
From the story:
One source briefed on the discussions said Kiffin came very close to signing an Ole Miss extension two days before the Egg Bowl. Ole Miss was able to match any dollar amount offered by LSU or Florida when it came to Kiffin’s contract. He said as much publicly after taking the Tigers’ gig.
It appears Kiffin was genuinely undecided until the end. We already knew Ole Miss essentially matched the contract the 50-year-old received from LSU, but he decided to leave anyway. At his introductory press conference, Kiffin claimed coaching the Tigers was the best job in football, so he may have truly believed there was a higher ceiling in Baton Rouge.
Kiffin has been busy since arriving at LSU. He allowed the coaches he brought with him to remain at Ole Miss during the College Football Playoff, then got right down to recruiting. Despite only being on campus for a few days, he was able to reel in 14 commits, including five-stars Lamar Brown and Richard Anderson. LSU’s class finished 13th in the 247Sports recruiting rankings.
In six seasons at Ole Miss, Kiffin went 55-19 overall and 31-17 in the SEC. He reached double-digit wins in four of his final five seasons, and the team earned its first CFP berth this year. It’s not surprising the Rebels went all out to get him back, and that Kiffin seriously considered staying.
Lane Kiffin’s LSU contract
Kiffin’s deal with LSU is a seven-year, $91 million contract that will pay him $13 million annually. The pact will make him the second-highest paid coach in college football behind Georgia’s Kirby Smart. It represents a significant raise over the $9 million he was making at Ole Miss.
There is an escalator in the deal that would automatically make Kiffin the highest-paid coach in college football if he won a national title at LSU.
If LSU fires Kiffin without cause, the school would owe Kiffin 80% of his remaining salary, and he would be paid in monthly installments. There is no mitigation or offset clause if he were to land another job after being fired.
In perhaps the deal’s strangest clause, LSU will pay Kiffin the same bonuses he would have gotten from Ole Miss for the Rebels’ performance in the playoff this year. He’ll get $150,000 for Ole Miss being in the first round of the tournament, and $1 million if the Rebels win a national title.
Even though he’s gone, Ole Miss can still help Kiffin get paid.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lane Kiffin Nearly Signed Contract Extension With Ole Miss Before Leaving for LSU.