Lane Kiffin made the bold decision at the conclusion of his sixth regular season with the Ole Miss Rebels to depart for Baton Rouge and accept the head coaching vacancy at LSU, leaving the program prior to the College Football Playoff.
Now several weeks into his new role, Kiffin has already assembled the majority of his staff for the 2026 season and beyond, with several coaches following him from Oxford.
That includes his latest hire, running backs coach Kevin Smith, who has played a key role in recruiting and developing top talent at the position and is set to become the highest-paid coach in that role.
On Monday, On3’s Pete Nakos reported that Smith has also been given an additional prestigious title on Kiffin’s staff, as he will serve as the associate head coach.
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Kiffin’s decision to leave Oxford prior to the CFP drew significant backlash, but he agreed to a seven-year, $91 million deal with contract stipulations that could make him the highest-paid coach in college football if he leads LSU to a national championship.
With this contract, he joins Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Ohio State’s Ryan Day as the only active head coaches in college football with base salaries exceeding $12 million, not including incentives.
Most notably, Kiffin is bringing Charlie Weis Jr. to LSU as offensive coordinator, the same role he held at Ole Miss and will finish out for the Rebels during the CFP. His defensive coordinator will be Blake Baker, who was already with the Tigers. In total, Kiffin has quickly assembled a 12-member coaching staff.
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