PALMER: A wild process has reached its conclusion for Kiffin, LSU

By Hunt Palmer

The process doesn’t always mirror the result.

That revealed itself to be true once again over the last month. LSU’s process in firing its coach, ousting an athletic director, appointing a new one and starting a search was sloppy at best and politically motivated at worst.

The governor’s involvement, the new president’s verbiage and the public nature of the legal back and forth between Brian Kelly and the university were all nationally mocked. Deservedly so.

Ultimately, though, Verge Ausberry led a committee and landed the most highly coveted coach on the carousel. They got the intended result.

Over the last decade, Lane Kiffin has transformed Alabama’s offense and elevated Florida Atlantic and Ole Miss to new heights. His acumen on in the film room, on the practice field and with the game day headset are second to none in college football. He’s that good.

His reputation beyond that took a hit over the last two weeks.

That’s nothing new to Kiffin. His firing from Oakland got messy. His departure from Tennessee was abrupt. Pat Haden couldn’t wait to get back to the USC facility to fire him there, and Nick Saban didn’t let him coach the national title game at Alabama. Now this. It’s beyond a trend. It’s reality.

To quote Elaine Benes, “he’s a bad breaker upper.” It should come as no surprise if Kiffin flirts with the NFL or another high-profile job while he’s at LSU. But he chose this as his next step, and the upside on this marriage is massive.

When Kiffin made the decision to take the LSU job, a decision I don’t believe truly came on Saturday or Sunday, he needed to pack his bags and board a flight. His desire to coach the College Football Playoff is understandable, it just wasn’t realistic.

In a college football ecosystem that allows the entire Ole Miss program to become a free agent in a month, Keith Carter couldn’t allow LSU’s football coach to roam the Manning Center halls making recruiting calls and potentially planting seeds with Ole Miss personnel.

Even if Kiffin did make the decision on Saturday, that was too late. Timing matters, and it was time to make a call two weeks ago.

All of that is in the rearview now, and Kiffin’s process doesn’t mar the outcome for LSU. With one move, LSU injected life into a napping program and shook up the Ole Miss operation entering its most important stretch in 60 years.

While Tiger fans harbor more ill will for Alabama and Florida, Ole Miss is one of three programs on the schedule for the next four years. Despite the confidence in Oxford that promoting Pete Golding will keep that train on the tracks, losing the most successful head coach in 60 years and promoting a guy who has never been a head coach anywhere is risky at best and destructive at worst.

The Grove Collective could prop a program up during the Wild West days of 2024. The rules have slightly changed since then. Kiffin’s coaching and management feel more central to Ole Miss’s winning ways recently than dollars and cents.

Like with the baseball program at Tennessee, I’d sell some stock in Ole Miss football right now if it’s trading at 10 to 11 wins a year and a playoff berth.

But this is ultimately about LSU. The Lane Kiffin era begins on Monday. Signing day is Wednesday. Staff decisions come quickly, and the transfer portal becomes the priority.

Kiffin has to find his quarterback. That hasn’t been a problem for him over the last 15 years. He scored truckloads of points with a converted running back in Tuscaloosa. He plucked a pair of west coast products to join him in Oxford in Matt Corral and Jaxson Dart. Trinidad Chambliss came from something called Ferris State.

Nothing is certain in college football hirings, but Kiffin is as good a bet as there is at this point.

The last month has been a circus in both Baton Rouge and Oxford. Missteps were made by multiple people over multiple weeks, some more egregious than others. When hundreds of millions of dollars and massive egos are at play, tensions boil over.

The mushroom cloud has settled, and it’s time to move forward. Ole Miss has a championship to chase. LSU has its coach.

The process is over. It’s time for results.