Lane Kiffin has officially been hired by LSU, and there is now reportedly only one college football coach in the country who earns more money than him.
Kiffin has signed a seven-year, $91 million contract with LSU, according to records that were obtained by Wilson Alexander of The Advocate. The $13 million average annual salary makes Kiffin the second highest-paid coach in college football behind only Kirby Smart, who made $13.28 million at Georgia this season. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is the only other coach who earns more than $12 million per year.
As expected, Kiffin’s contract also includes incentives. One of the escalators in the contract reportedly calls for him to become the highest-paid coach in the nation if he were to lead LSU to a national championship.
There is also a clause that calls for Kiffin to be paid for any success Ole Miss has in the College Football Playoff this season, according to Alexander. LSU has agreed to honor the bonuses that Kiffin would have received had he won College Football Playoff games with the Rebels. Kiffin could earn up to $1 million from LSU in postseason bonuses that are tied to Ole Miss’ success.
Kiffin’s buyout is also a huge one, as expected. If he were to be fired without cause, LSU would owe him 80% of the total value of his remaining contract.
One recent report suggested LSU had offered to make Kiffin the highest-paid coach in the country. While he will still earn less than Smart initially, it is not difficult to see why the offer was enticing to Kiffin.
Kiffin wanted to continue to coach at Ole Miss through the College Football Playoff, but his former boss was not open to that idea. While he would not technically be able to call himself a national champion if Ole Miss were to capture a title, Kiffin would still be paid for his former team’s success.
