LSU spent $48 million building a football roster, only to watch Alabama embarrass the Tigers 31-13 in their own backyard. Now, the blame game is exploding in Baton Rouge, and Lane Kiffin is taking the heat. With LSU stumbling to 6-3, the head coach is under fire not just for another humiliating defeat, but for turning one of college football’s most iconic pregame traditions into a celebrity circus.
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Former LSU star Leonard Fournette has seen enough. Appearing on the 4th & South podcast, he unleashed a fiery rant targeting the program’s culture and Kiffin’s pregame antics.
“Superstar come out, f—all that! That Angel Reese come out. Angel Reese, f—all that. They had Shaq come out. They had Angel Reese come out,” Fournette blasted. “Angel Reese, Shaq, and Kevin, they not about to come help us on this motherf***ing football field. What the f***? Fu**— are we doing? They not about to sit up and help us or win on no goddamn game. Why? Why are they coming out on the bus with us? Why? Why? It does not make no sense to me. Yes, I love everything Coach Kiffin is doing, but that sh-t, especially we losing, that sh** has to stop. There ain’t no fing concert.”
“There ain’t no party. The game is to win. We get paid to win. Success come off winning. I couldn’t care less who you come out with, especially guys like us who put our hard work, sweat, tears into that sh-t.”
Fournette then shifted his criticism toward a broader issue affecting college football.
“And that’s, and you know what? And NIL has messed the game up so much, they don’t realize they’re not just representing themselves and their family. They’re representing us.”
Fellow LSU icon and NFL veteran Jarvis Landry echoed those concerns on the podcast, questioning whether Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals and social media attention have weakened player accountability. He also criticized the coaching staff’s preparation and execution, arguing that the team failed to deliver when it mattered.
Much of the backlash centers on Kiffin’s newly introduced “Celebrity Tiger Walk.” Ahead of the crucial Alabama matchup, the coach transformed the traditional Victory Hill march into a star-studded spectacle.
He entered the stadium alongside Shaquille O’Neal, Angel Reese, Paul Skenes, Livvy Dunne, and Hollywood actor Kevin Costner, generating massive social media attention.
But the excitement quickly faded once the game began. LSU struggled to execute against Alabama, with quarterback Sam Leavitt throwing for 380 yards but also tossing a costly interception and taking four sacks.
Fournette and Landry were particularly critical of the offensive strategy, questioning why Kiffin relied on what they described as “tricky, ridiculous-ass plays” instead of establishing a physical ground game.
The Tigers also went 0-for-4 on fourth-down attempts, prompting Landry to question why the coaching staff refused to punt and limit Alabama’s momentum.
The defeat extended Kiffin’s winless record against the Crimson Tide to 0-6 as a head coach, adding another painful chapter to his struggles against the program.
Meanwhile, former LSU defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko has also criticized Kiffin, adding to the growing frustration surrounding his leadership.
The celebrity-filled entrance has now become a lightning rod for criticism, raising questions about whether the program’s priorities are aligned with its championship ambitions.
With LSU’s playoff hopes in jeopardy, the pressure to respond is mounting. Landry believes Kiffin should take the defeat personally, particularly after the taunting the Tigers reportedly received from Alabama’s coaching staff.