LSU head coach Lane Kiffin took charge of his first spring practice with the Tigers last week after a fast-paced period of recruitment since his appointment last year. Kiffin oversaw an exodus from Baton Rouge and, in response, brought in the top-ranked transfer portal class in the country ahead of his first season at the helm.
Lane Kiffin Addresses Recent Practice Fights at LSU
Since his introductory news conference, Kiffin has repeatedly stated his wish to build a new culture at the program even as he integrates the new players into the team.
While speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Kiffin revealed his response to several team fights that have plagued LSU practice sessions in the last week of spring practice.
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“I think their mindset was better. You’re here to coach. You’re not gonna walk in and everything is how you want it to be. That’s just part of the process. We had no fights today and we had like six fights the other day,” Kiffin said. “I had to teach them that we don’t fight.
“When you come in, you really can’t expect and assume anything is the way that I approach it. You’ve got to go back and teach everything from the beginning as if they don’t know anything. Especially because there’s so many coming from different places and I talk to our coaches about that a lot. Go back to the beginning of everything.”
Kiffin’s controversial move from Ole Miss, just as the Rebels were on the verge of clinching a College Football Playoff berth, has turned him into one of the most talked-about sports figures in the country as he navigates the early stages of his tenure in Baton Rouge.
During Tuesday’s segment of “The Josh Pate College Football Show,” analyst Josh Pate spoke about the pressure facing Kiffin after the Tigers reportedly exceeded $40 million in NIL money to build their roster ahead of next season.
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“It takes what it takes to win no matter what you’re paying him,” Pate said. “And then they go and they spend $40 million on the roster, whatever the official number is. They’ve spent a ton of money on this roster because they want to flip it fast and they want to win really quickly. I’m moderately to highly convinced that he’ll win a national title there.”
Kiffin will be one of the most scrutinized coaches in college football next season, given his history of elevating programs to elite status, combined with LSU’s huge fanbase and ability to generate headlines.
