Lane Kiffin might not be coaching Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff, but he’ll be rewarded for whatever success the Rebels have in the postseason.
LSU will give Kiffin the bonus money he would’ve received with Ole Miss had he coached the Rebels in the CFP as part of his seven-year contract, ESPN reported. The bonus money reportedly ranges anywhere between $150,000 and $1 million, depending on how Ole Miss’ CFP run ends.
With Ole Miss sitting at 11-1 and ranked No. 7 in the most recent CFP poll, Kiffin will almost certainly receive at least $150,000 in bonus money due to the Rebels’ participation in the 12-team playoff. The reward will only climb up to $1 million if Ole Miss wins the national championship in the unprecedented situation it’s in.
Lane Kiffin leaves Ole Miss for LSU, Should he have switched before the playoffs?
Kiffin agreed to become LSU’s new head coach on Sunday. In the process, Ole Miss also prohibited Kiffin from remaining with the team and potentially coaching in the CFP. Shortly after Kiffin’s announcement, Ole Miss announced it was promoting defensive coordinator Pete Golding to become its next head coach.
Kiffin signed a seven-year deal that will reportedly pay him $13 million per year on an annual basis, making him CFB’s second-highest-paid head coach. However, Kiffin’s contract reportedly includes a clause that would make him the highest-paid coach if LSU wins the national championship. Georgia’s Kirby Smart is currently the highest-paid coach in college football, earning $13.28 million, per USA Today’s database.
Winning a national championship isn’t the only way for Kiffin to earn more money at LSU.
Kiffin will reportedly receive up to $1 million in bonus money for winning the SEC Championship Game, while he could also receive a CFP-related bonus that ranges from $750,000 to $3 million. He would make $750,000 for the Tigers appearing in a CFP first-round game, but the number would climb to $3 million if he leads the team to a national championship.
The benefits and bonuses aren’t the only incentives Kiffin is reportedly receiving in his LSU deal. He will also receive up to $500,000 to pay the difference from his primary residence in Mississippi to his new home at LSU.
Of course, there’s also the possibility that things could either go south for Kiffin at Baton Rouge or he ends up leaving on his own volition. If Kiffin is fired without cause, LSU would reportedly be on the hook for 80% of his remaining salary, which includes no offset language; the money would be paid to Kiffin on a monthly basis through the end of his contract.
LSU just paid the second-largest buyout for a head coach in college football history when it fired Brian Kelly, agreeing to pay its former head coach his full buyout of $54 million in late November.
If Kiffin were to leave for another head coaching job before 2027, he would reportedly owe LSU $7 million. The number would drop to $6 million by January 2027.
Kiffin officially took the job at LSU following multiple weeks of speculation about his head coaching future. On top of weighing the possibility of going to LSU or remaining at Ole Miss, Kiffin was also a candidate for the Florida job.
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