Lane Kiffin is in his first offseason at LSU, and many have noticed his work ethic. His leadership style with the Tigers is already drawing early comparisons to legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban.
How Lane Kiffin Is Channeling Nick Saban’s Relentless Mindset at LSU
Kiffin opened his press conference on Tuesday by sharing his evaluation of LSU’s progress a few weeks into spring practices. When asked about his time working under Saban and whether it shaped how he identifies players for different positions, Kiffin pointed to a deeper influence.
“Maybe a little a bit,” Kiffin said. “I think more from him comes I find myself now the obsession of winning, the obsession of every day there’s got to be something we can do better, and I find myself like that. And I think maybe now our coaches get a little annoyed with me, maybe like I did with him. And it’s like where you’re kinda never pleased. I find myself like that.
“So that really what I feel taking from him is more than that, really the different position. But in that, you look at everything. Could this guy play somewhere else? Could he do something else? There’s got to be a way to play better than we did yesterday and to practice better than we did yesterday. That’s why I’m here all the time. Trying to figure out some way of something we can do better.”
Kiffin and Saban have a strong relationship after working together at Alabama. Saban won the 2003 national championship at LSU and added six more at Alabama before retiring after the 2023 season. As for Kiffin, he has won three national titles as an assistant but is still chasing his first as a head coach.
He may have had a shot if he stayed with Ole Miss through the 2025 season, but that remains hypothetical. What is clear is that Kiffin is doing everything possible to position LSU for a national title in the near future.
Kiffin seemed highly energized in Tuesday’s conference, where he described Saturday as “discouraging” offensively due to a lack of explosive plays compared to his “extremely high” standards and expectations. However, he credited the defense for its strength, continuity, and the addition of promising new pieces. The absence of Sam Leavitt also factored in, as he ended last season at Arizona State with a 79.7 rating in the PFSN College Football QB Impact Metric.
“A lot of work to do there,” Kiffin said. “It doesn’t happen overnight.”
LSU has completed 10 spring practices so far, and Kiffin said that the “work to do” applies to this season, not some long-term outlook. He made it clear that even a highly rated transfer class doesn’t instantly deliver a championship. There is significant work required from signing day through Saturdays.
Saban was famously never fully satisfied, even in big wins, and Kiffin is indeed adopting that same mindset at LSU.
