Lane Kiffin is reportedly getting paid for Ole Miss’ victory in the first round of the College Football Playoff despite having left the program in November to join LSU.
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg reported that Kiffin’s seven-year contract with LSU includes a clause matching the compensation he would have received for coaching the Rebels through the playoff.
That includes $250,000 for Ole Miss’ first-round win over Tulane on Saturday night, per Rittenberg.
The head coach will receive $1 million from LSU if Ole Miss goes on to win the national title, according to Rittenberg.
Kiffin said when announcing his departure from Ole Miss on Nov. 30 he had hoped to lead the Rebels through the CFP before leaving for Baton Rouge.
He wrote in his statement this request was “denied” by Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter.
Bob Chesney, who was hired away from JMU to coach at UCLA next season, and Tulane’s Jon Sumrall, who will coach at Florida in 2026, both entered the playoff with their former teams.
Ole Miss, in contrast, promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding to the program’s full-time head coaching position ahead of the playoff.
Despite Kiffin’s departure, a large part of his former staff stayed intact for the playoff run.
That’s in part because Kiffin allowed some of the staffers who followed him to LSU to return to Oxford.
Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., tight ends coach Joe Cox, wide receivers coach George McDonald, assistant quarterbacks coach Dane Stevens and slot wide receivers coach Sawyer Jordan all originally went to LSU with Kiffin before coming back to Ole Miss for the playoff run, per ESPN.
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach meanwhile reported that “nearly all” of the Rebels defensive staff stuck around for the playoff and plans to return next season behind Golding.
That staffing continuity appeared to pay off for both Ole Miss and Kiffin with Saturday’s blowout.
The Rebels will now look to advance to the semifinal, while Kiffin will hope to add to his incentive bonus, with a Sugar Bowl win over Georgia on New Year’s Day.
Kiffin is set to receive his CFP bonus without 30 days of the conclusion to Ole Miss’ season, according to Rittenberg.
The LSU head coach could add even more to his reported $13 million annual salary if he is able to lead the Tigers on a playoff run next winter. According to Rittenberg, Kiffin’s new contract offers bonuses of $1 million for an SEC championship game win and $3 million for a national title.
