Lane Kiffin stepped into Death Valley, tasked with keeping LSU at the pinnacle of college football. It doesn’t mean the Tigers weren’t winning when Brian Kelly was leading, but they don’t just want to win; instead, they want to be a title contender, which many believe Kiffin can do.
Tim Hasselbeck Makes Bold Championship Claim About Lane Kiffin’s LSU
The college football calendar didn’t allow for a clean break for Kiffin, as he had to choose between leaving for a dream job at LSU while Ole Miss was preparing for a College Football Playoff run. He ultimately couldn’t lead the Rebels in their CFP run and watched as they had a messy exit.
The situation became even more strained when Kiffin chose not to let assistants who had followed him to LSU return to coach Ole Miss during its CFP run. However, relations seem to have improved, as Kiffin revealed this week that he and Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter have had cordial conversations during SEC meetings this year.
Kiffin is now fully focused on LSU and has repeatedly described the Tigers’ job as “just different” to show how much the opportunity means to him.
Former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tim Hasselbeck believes LSU offers Kiffin everything he needs to build a championship contender.
“Can he build a contender there? Yes, he can,” Hasselbeck said on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Friday. “Because, and it’s why you leave, and it’s why Brian Kelly would leave Notre Dame to go to LSU, you know, similarly to Texas, you know, the players that you can attract there because of where you’re located, the history of the program, all those things, the money that’s there to spend.”
Kiffin quickly reshaped the roster, combining returning talent and major transfer portal additions after arriving in Baton Rouge. He retained LSU’s top recruits while aggressively pursuing experienced transfers.
Kiffin’s portal haul included quarterback Sam Leavitt, offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, and wide receiver Eugene Wilson III, among several other key additions. Kiffin also strengthened LSU’s recruiting efforts by bringing former Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron into a recruiting support role.
Given those offseason moves, Hasselbeck believes LSU has all the ingredients to compete for a national title under Kiffin.
“Like when you can buy as good of players or better than a lot of the teams that you are playing against, then you 100% can be a contender,” Hasselbeck said. “You just better get it right in terms of the talent evaluation.”
LSU gave Kiffin a seven-year, $91 million contract, while also backing him with one of the most expensive assistant coaching pools in college football history to ensure elite coordination. The Tigers reportedly assembled a $40 million roster for Kiffin, leaving little room for patience or a rebuilding narrative in his first season.
At a program with LSU’s expectations, simply winning eight or nine games is rarely enough. Even if Kiffin does not deliver a national championship in Year 1, playoff success will likely be seen as the minimum standard given the program’s heavy investment.
