In the high-stakes arms race of SEC football, the general rule is that a program cannot buy a championship, but LSU is certainly testing the limits of that theory. The recent hiring of Tee Martin as an offensive analyst sent a clear message across the college football landscape: The Lane Kiffin era is being funded by a blank check.
Lane Kiffin’s Blank Check Mandate at LSU Becomes Obvious
Matt Moscona recently appeared on “After Further Review” and detailed the hiring of Martin and what it actually signaled. Martin quarterbacked Tennessee to the 1998 national title and spent the last four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. This tenure included the 2023 and 2024 seasons as quarterbacks coach, where he helped guide Lamar Jackson to the 2023 NFL MVP award.
Moscona said, “It has been 20 years, 20 years that Tee Martin has been a coach at the high school, college, and NFL levels. And now, Tee Martin is LSU assistant coach Tee Martin. Adding a guy like this as an offensive analyst is a major coup.”
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“My biggest takeaway from adding Tee Martin, and really everything that LSU has done in this offseason, is that nobody is telling Lane Kiffin ‘no.’ Whatever Lane Kiffin wants, and however much it costs, they are going to give it to him.”
Adding Martin to an analyst role, a position that typically serves as a developmental spot for younger coaches, is a move that screams financial dominance. He joins an LSU staff that has expanded significantly, with over 70 members listed in the football directory. This is a staggering number that nearly matches the size of the active roster itself.
Since taking the job in December 2025, Kiffin has seemingly faced no resistance from the LSU administration. Whether it was luring away elite assistants from rival SEC programs or securing a top-ranked transfer portal class, headlined by Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt, the common denominator has been a total lack of “no.”
Entering the 2026 season, LSU is no longer rebuilding; the Tigers are retooling at a historic pace. To protect Leavitt, Kiffin secured elite offensive tackle Jordan Seaton.
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Defensively, retaining coordinator Blake Baker and adding elite edge rushers like Princewill Umanmielen and Jordan Ross addresses the Tigers’ biggest historical weakness: the pass rush.
However, to make the College Football Playoff, Kiffin must navigate a gauntlet that includes an opener against Clemson on September 5 and a high-voltage revenge game at Ole Miss on September 19. PFSN’s CFB Playoff Meter is giving the Tigers a 37% chance to make it.
