Lane Kiffin packed his bags for greener pastures in Louisiana, but with a bitter exit from Oxford. Ole Miss AD Keith Carter barred him from coaching the Rebels in the playoffs. But guess what? Lane Kiffin’s effort all season, ending with 11 wins, hasn’t gone unnoticed by his new workplace.

According to sources, LSU would be happy to pay its new head coach his postseason dues if Ole Miss ends up winning the Natty. So Lane Kiffin could still pocket up to a million bucks if the Rebels win a national title without him. Kiffin’s contract at LSU reportedly includes a clause that covers postseason bonuses from his tenure at Ole Miss.

Even though he bailed on the Rebels mid-run, LSU is honoring those bonuses because they’re part of the compensation package tied to his coaching performance last season.

This is a rare scenario where a coach profits from his former team’s success. Ole Miss just had their best season ever, winning 11 games and making a serious playoff push. Amid the rumors of LSU’s contract, Ole Miss’ AD Keith Carter drew a hard line that Kiffin wouldn’t be allowed to coach the Rebels in the playoffs if he had signed a deal with the rivals. Even the faithful were done with this saga. Airport scenes depicted the perfect story.

The boos and frustration as their coach bolted for LSU were hard to ignore. Yet, money talks, right?

He signed a seven-year deal worth around $91 million, which breaks down to about $13 million per year. That salary already rockets him to the No. 2 highest-paid coach in college football, just behind Georgia’s Kirby Smart. Plus, it’s a huge improvement from the $9 million Kiffin earned last season at Ole Miss. What makes this contract really interesting is the automatic escalator clause.

If Kiffin leads LSU to a national championship, his pay bumps up, making him the highest-paid coach in the country. The contract also includes a hefty buyout clause: if LSU fires him without cause, it must pay Kiffin 80% of his remaining salary each month, with no reduction even if he takes another coaching job. That means his buyout will stand at $72.8m in 2026. This kind of security is rare and shows the school’s commitment to him.

It pays to be Lane Kiffin

Lane Kiffin’s buyout clause from LSU got everyone buzzing. It certainly tops Brian Kelly’s monster payout. LSU just shelled out $54 million to boot Kelly without cause after a rough stretch, paying it monthly over the years with an offset clause forcing him to hunt for another gig to shave down the bill. Kelly fought like anything with his lawsuit, but LSU caved. They dropped the lawsuit and cleared all their dues to Kelly to clear the deck for Kiffin.

That saga left Tigers fans groaning about ‘dead money’ crippling the program. Enter Kiffin’s seven-year, $91 million deal, inked hot off Ole Miss’s 11-win heater. If LSU fires him without cause, he’s guaranteed 80% of the remaining salary. This is a major contrast from how LSU wanted to get rid of Kelly. Kiffin cashes full checks even if he coaches elsewhere tomorrow. It’s a coach’s dream fortress.

Reports call it rarer than a national title in Baton Rouge, protecting Kiffin from the same fate that sank Kelly after flops like that Texas A&M thrashing. Why top Kelly’s? LSU learned from the mess. Kiffin’s no-offset armor shows they’re betting big on his Ole Miss magic to avoid round two. Next fall, when Ole Miss hosts LSU, expect fireworks.

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