What could Lane Kiffin’s staff look like at LSU, tagalongs and holdovers

By Hunt Palmer

Lane Kiffin is obviously the top target on LSU’s coaching search list.

There is currently no indication who is No. 2. Kiffin’s family has been to Baton Rouge to explore the city. He’s done essentially nothing to slow the rumor mill. And the clock is ticking.

Should Kiffin take the job, it’s likely that happens in the next two weeks based on reporting from The Athletic and the general feeling around the situation as tension mounts in Oxford.

Among the first orders of business upon arrival in Baton Rouge would be hiring a staff. Often times coaches bring multiple staff members from a previous job. In Kiffin’s case, Ole Miss is going to be in the College Football Playoff. The first round is December 19-20. The quarterfinals are December 3-January 1. The semifinals are January 8-9, and the national championship is January 19. Does some of Kiffin’s staff immediately leave a playoff team for Baton Rouge? That’s possible with the recruiting window being what it is. Does Kiffin wait that out for some of his staff? In short, yes.

All of this is speculation, but relationships are a big deal in coaching, so connecting some dots isn’t always the most difficult assignment. Here’s a look at some of the potential Ole Miss staffers who could come to LSU as well as some current LSU coaches that Kiffin could have an interest in keeping.

MOST LIKELY TO COME

Chris Kiffin, Lane’s younger brother, was his defensive coordinator at Florida Atlantic and is currently the linebackers coach at Ole Miss. That’s an obvious name to watch.

Charlie Weis Jr. is the highest paid offensive coordinator in the SEC. He and Kiffin have diced up SEC defenses since 2022, and his position is vacant at LSU. Would he want to spread his wings away from Kiffin? Perhaps, but the two have worked well together.

Kevin Smith has been on Lane Kiffin’s staff as the running backs coach since 2017. He’s a huge part of the Ole Miss recruiting operation, and his running backs have been wildly productive. As you’ll see in this next section, that could make things more complicated with Frank Wilson at LSU, but that can potentially be smoothed over.

MOST LIKELY TO STAY

Frank Wilson was hired by Kiffin at Tennessee in 2009 to coach wide receivers. When Kiffin bolted for USC, Wilson landed at LSU under Les Miles. Wilson loves LSU, has held this recruiting class together and has a relationship with Kiffin. That seems like a no brainer, especially since Kiffin has not spent any time coaching in Louisiana. Smith is a favorite in Oxford and of Kiffin’s, but seeing Wilson leave town feels unlikely. Perhaps one of them shifts over to wide receivers or tight ends.

Corey Raymond has earned the right to stay at LSU. No matter who the next head coach is, letting him walk out the door the way the previous hire did would be foolish. He’s an alum who has cultivated one of the most recognizable position groups in the country.

WILD CARDS

Blake Baker is extremely popular in the LSU football facility, and he’s taken the LSU defense from a punchline to a solid unit. Kiffin and Baker have never worked together, but they’re extremely familiar with each other professionally from their time on opposite sides of the ball in the same conference. If Golding looked elsewhere, would Baker be open to a return? His wife went to LSU, and the couple has young children.

Pete Golding has helped Ole Miss become a competent defense since joining Kiffin’s staff from Alabama two years ago. He’s a Hammond native who has spent eight years in the SEC under Nick Saban and Kiffin. His wife is an Ole Miss alumna, so maybe the next coach at Ole Miss makes a bid to keep him. Maybe he’s in the running at Ole Miss.

Randall Joyner has been the Ole Miss defensive line coach for Kiffin’s entire tenure in Oxford. His position group has thrived with names like Jared Ivey, Walter Nolan, JJ Pegues, Suntarine Perkins and Princely Umanmielen. Joyner is considered an elite recruiter and developer.

Kevin Peoples and Jake Olson were hand-picked by Baker. In his first year, Peoples made a huge impact on Brayden Swinson and Sai’Vion Jones. Olson’s safety group has made huge strides in 2025. It feels like Baker would need to be retained for these two to stick around.

Asked by ESPN Radio a month ago if he would return to LSU to coach as an assistant, Ed Orgeron didn’t rule it out. Would Kiffin rekindle that relationship that dates back to their days under Pete Carrol at USC? I’d peg Joyner as the favorite, but a reunion isn’t off the table.