Lane Kiffin cites 'diversity' at LSU, 'adult money' in his decision to leave Mississippi for Baton Rouge

Lane Kiffin opened up to Vanity Fair about what went into his decision to leave Mississippi for LSU.

(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / REUTERS)

Lane Kiffin shook up the SEC and college football landscape with his decision last fall to leave Mississippi to take over as LSU’s head football coach.

He did so with Mississippi football at the peak of its powers, on the verge of playing in the College Football Playoff with a shot at the first national championship in program history.

Now, months removed from the decision, Kiffin opened up to Vanity Fair about what went into his call to leave a program that he’d built into a power for a rival school — as well as the awkward timing of his decision.

Some of his answers aren’t surprising. Kiffin cited LSU’s “adult money” and willingness to spend to build a winner that gives it an edge in the NIL era.

As for that awkward timing, he fairly pointed to the college football calendar. Due to the timing of the transfer portal and recruiting calendar, LSU needed to have a head coach in place prior to the end of Mississippi’s season. Thus, Kiffin’s decision to leave Mississippi behind when it needed him most.

‘My grandparents aren’t letting me move to Oxford’

Kiffin also cited a factor that doesn’t come up with almost every coach’s decision to leave one job for another, more lucrative position: diversity. Kiffin told Vanity Fair that he ran into recruiting hurdles at Mississippi that he doesn’t anticipate coming up at LSU.

From the Vanity Fair feature:

When he was coaching there, Kiffin says, top recruits would tell him, “‘Hey, coach, we really like you. But my grandparents aren’t letting me move to Oxford, Mississippi.’