LSU AD Verge Ausberry is a happy man now. The LSU alum who has spent 30 years climbing the ranks of the program’s athletic department was suddenly thrust into action last year after the departure of head coach Brian Kelly and AD Scott Woodward. As interim AD, he not only calmed the waters but also secured the future by hiring Lane Kiffin. However, Ausberry wasn’t always a fan of the person he selected to replace Kelly.

“When he first got to Ole Miss, we all thought he was the biggest a–hole when he’d walk into the room at SEC meetings,” Ausberry told USA Today on May 25. “One thing about it, when he spoke, he made sense.”

And Ausberry hasn’t been the only person with that assessment. Lane Kiffin has spent a majority of his coaching career being the “villain.” The rival fans of the programs he coached had to endure consistent trolling from Kiffin. At times, it came in the form of a harmless dig at Carson Beck’s NIL value when Miami got him in the portal. Or his banter with Kirby Smart before Ole Miss faced Georgia in their SEC clash.

Other times, the ‘villain’ tag was a result of how he left the program. In Tennessee, Kiffin famously talked trash to SEC heavyweights like Nick Saban, and the Vols’ fans loved it. However, he earned their ire when he left the program after just one season to become a head coach at USC.

Before that, his Oakland tenure in the pros also ended in controversy. The Raiders’ owner, Al Davis, even called him a “flat-out liar” after firing him. And we know how his term with Ole Miss ended.

The Rebels’ fans were never going to accept Kiffin leaving them for an SEC rival. However, it was still poorly handled by the current LSU head coach. After accepting a seven-year, $91 million contract with the Tigers, Kiffin insisted on coaching Ole Miss through the playoffs. When Ole Miss AD Keith Carter denied his request, Kiffin abruptly left for Baton Rouge. Reportedly, he didn’t even get a chance to address his players for one last time. Interestingly, Ausberry said he’d have done the same.

And if that wasn’t enough, his latest comments about Ole Miss’s past and the recruiting struggles at the program have only made things worse. Why then did Ausberry hire him? Especially given he thought Kiffin was an a–hole?

“He has matured as a head coach,” Ausberry further told USA Today. And unlike four years ago, when the program replaced Ed Orgeron with Brian Kelly, the timing was right for Kiffin to be in Baton Rouge.

“We needed a different type of energy around here,” Ausberry said. But does the LSU AD still think that Kiffin is an a–hole? Well, no, but the current Tigers’ head coach does have an edge, as per Ausberry.

And even the ardent Kiffin haters can’t deny that his hiring has brought the much-needed momentum at LSU that the program lacked when Brian Kelly was running things. Since the 2026 season has yet to begin, we can’t assess how Lane Kiffin’s LSU will line up on the gridiron.

Lane Kiffin is making moves off the field

Off the field, Lane Kiffin’s appointment has been a home run hire. Just weeks after accepting the position, the new head coach led the Tigers to the No. 1 2026 transfer class.

The program was looking at an uncertain QB room for 2026, but Kiffin revitalized it by adding Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt and USC transfer Husan Longstreet. There were significant additions to the offensive line that plagued LSU during the 2025 season.

And that’s not all. Gone are the days when LSU was struggling to land in-state talent under Brian Kelly. Lane Kiffin is chasing high-school prospects from Louisiana who have already committed to the likes of Texas.

And to further boost the local recruiting, he has brought in Coach O [Ed Orgeron], who last led the program to a national championship title.