Lane Kiffin’s First Game as LSU Head Coach Revealed

By Cole SullivanShareNewsweek is a Trust Project member

The college football world has been waiting for a decision all week surrounding Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin, who was the top candidate for both the Florida and LSU vacancies.

However, with the Rebels on track to make the College Football Playoffs, Kiffin faced a difficult decision: leaving Ole Miss before the postseason if he chose to depart.

He tried to stay through the playoffs during negotiations with the university on Saturday, but ultimately announced he would leave for Baton Rouge to become the next head coach of LSU.

"After a lot of prayer and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision to accept the head coaching position at LSU," Kiffin posted on social media.

"I was hoping to complete a historic six-season run with this year's team by leading Ole Miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on the team's incredible success and their commitment to finish strong, and investing everything into a playoff run with guardrails in place to protect the program in any areas of concern," Kiffin added. "My request to do so was denied by Keith Carter despite the team also asking him to allow me to keep coaching them so they could better maintain their high level of performance. Unfortunately, that means Friday's Egg Bowl was my last game coaching the Rebels.

"While I am looking forward to a new start with a unique opportunity at LSU, I will forever cherish the incredible six years I spent at Ole Miss and will be rooting hard for the team to complete their mission and bring a championship to Oxford."

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Now, Kiffin’s future is in Baton Rouge, where he’s already brought along much of his staff, including former Ole Miss general manager Billy Glasscock.

There’s still plenty to be finalized, but LSU is expected to formally introduce Kiffin on Monday. His first game with the program, set for Sept. 5, 2026, has already been revealed, and it has fans buzzing: LSU will open the season at home against Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers. Later in the season, Kiffin will also face his former team when LSU travels to Ole Miss in Oxford.

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The rest of LSU’s SEC schedule will feature matchups against Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi State, Texas, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Auburn, and Kentucky.

During his time at Ole Miss, Kiffin compiled a 55-19 record, becoming the third-winningest coach in program history and leading the Rebels to their first College Football Playoff appearance. With Kiffin departing, Ole Miss has already named his successor, promoting defensive coordinator Pete Golding to permanent head coach—a move that has been warmly embraced by the players.

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