Lane Kiffin took plenty of shots as his former program, No. 6 seed Ole Miss, knocked off Kirby Smart’s No. 3 Georgia 39-34 on Thursday in the Sugar Bowl at the Caesars Superdome. The win sent the Rebels to the College Football Playoff semifinals, and despite the criticism surrounding him, Kiffin still came out ahead financially.
Meanwhile, Kiffin also managed to trigger another opposing head coach, this time South Carolina’s Shane Beamer.
Lane Kiffin Triggers Shane Beamer After a Recent Coaching Hire
Beamer added Penn State defensive line coach Deion Barnes to South Carolina’s staff this week. Barnes spent the past three seasons coaching the Nittany Lions’ defensive front and worked with a strong group of edge rushers before joining the Gamecocks.
Barnes’ arrival followed the exit of Sterling Lucas, who coached defensive ends and outside linebackers at South Carolina before accepting a position on Kiffin’s LSU staff on Dec. 22. Lucas’ hire completed the final full-time on-field role Kiffin needed to fill on the defensive side.
At a press conference on Friday, Beamer took issue with how the situation unfolded. He revealed that Lucas notified him of Kiffin’s LSU offer around 11 p.m. on a Thursday, and he had accepted the job by 9 a.m. the next morning.
“A little bit unusual,” Beamer said. “Usually, you get a phone call from the head coach of the school, giving you a heads up that he’s interested in maybe talking to one of your coaches. That didn’t happen, which again, there’s no rule that that has to happen, but it’s kind of an unspoken rule.
“Didn’t hear anything from the other school, didn’t hear anything from the previous coach until he called to tell me that he had been offered a job. It wasn’t a very thorough interview process where you have a few days to plan and think this might be coming down the track.”
Beamer originally hired Lucas in 2022 to oversee the defensive ends and outside linebackers, later promoting him to defensive run game coordinator in January 2025. During his spell with the Gamecocks, Lucas helped develop standout edge defenders Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart, both of whom earned All-SEC honors this season.
Lucas served as an assistant defensive line coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021 before joining South Carolina, and also spent five seasons (2016-20) with the Baltimore Ravens. He began his coaching career at NC State in 2013 as a graduate assistant in the strength and conditioning department.
Lucas’ move to LSU can pay immediate dividends on the recruiting trail, as Rivals lists LSU as a leading contender for Jaiden Bryant in the 2027 class. Lucas was Bryant’s primary recruiter at South Carolina. Lucas’ existing relationship could help Kiffin secure the nation’s top EDGE prospect.
Meanwhile, Kiffin opted to keep much of LSU’s defensive staff intact to preserve continuity. Defensive coordinator Blake Baker recently agreed to a three-year extension, while cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond, safeties coach Jake Olsen, and edge rushers/outside linebackers coach Kevin Peoples all remained in Baton Rouge.
LSU’s defense finished with an 86.7 grade in the PFSN CFB Defense Metric, ranking 15th nationally.
Lane kiffin is 100% about what is good for him and courtesy or loyalty or appreciation for what got you there, is non existent.