Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
By Hunt Palmer
The first two wins come easy for a new head coach.
Win the press conference. Win the hiring cycle.
Lane Kiffin has done both in Baton Rouge. The “This place is different” line from his introductory press conference has become a marketing slogan. The purple and gold picture he painted from Tiger Stadium’s South Stadium Club warmed him to the LSU faithful. Easy enough.
The second piece of the puzzle required some finesse.
Ideally, Kiffin could take the Ole Miss offensive brain trust and combine it with the retooled Tiger defensive staff, especially since his Rebel defensive coaches were anchored in Oxford when Pete Golding was promoted to head coach.
Easier said than done.
Blake Baker was a hot commodity on the Group of Five head coaching front. Memphis and Tulane came calling, and both offer excellent launching pads for Power Four jobs. Ask Willie Fritz, Jon Sumrall, Ryan Silverfield and Mike Norvell.
Had Baker made the jump for Memphis or his alma mater, Kiffin would have been without a staff for the side of the ball he has to delegate toward. Remember, his first Ole Miss defense literally finished second to last in the nation in 2020 and was just 97th in year two. It wasn’t until Golding showed up (and The Grove Collective ponied up) that Kiffin was able to field a great defense.
Baker’s two-year stint in Baton Rouge suggests he’s well on his way to doing that at LSU. Jake Olson took safety play from among the SEC’s worst to among the SEC’s best in a year. Corey Raymond inherited the SEC’s second worst pass defense. This season he coached the top cover man in the sport and On3’s National Defensive Freshman of the Year. Kevin Peoples worked wonders with Sai’vion Jones and Brayden Swinson a year ago.
Chris Kiffin, Lane’s brother, gets a spot on the staff at linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator. That was worked out with Baker during Tulane’s pursuit.
On the defensive line, Kiffin took some big swings. Elijah Robinson appears to be strike one. The former Texas A&M staffer returned to College Station to join Mike Elko’s staff after a visit to Baton Rouge. Instead, Kiffin landed South Carolina’s Sterling Lucas who was integral in the recruitment of five-star turned All-American Dylan Stewart and the blossoming of Kyle Kennard into the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2024.
It was a pivot, but it looks like a great one on paper.
Offensively, Kiffin got his guys. Charlie Weis Jr. got some cold feet and conceivably could have run the Rebel offense without Kiffin’s watchful eye and influence. Instead, he followed to LSU where he’ll call the plays. Kevin Smith has been a trusted recruiter and maintains a tight bond with Kewan Lacy. George McDonald and Joe Cox have input on what has been as productive an offense as there has been in college football.
Kiffin’s offensive track record suggests not much should be questioned. So, I won’t.
As Christmas comes and the transfer portal opening follows, LSU’s now in position to go shopping. The 2026 roster will feature a significant amount of new faces. Some will come from Oxford. More will come from elsewhere.
Kiffin has checked the first couple of boxes. Now the real work starts.
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