Lane Kiffin Goes From Villain To King: LSU Welcomes New Coach, Who Also Might’ve Implicated Nick Saban

What a difference 24 hours makes for Lane Kiffin. On Sunday, he was given enough double-birds to fill a lifetime, but Monday, he was greeted with a standing ovation in front of LSU faithful who were welcoming the former Ole Miss coach to Baton Rouge. 

If you're new here, welcome to the world of college football. In this short span, Kiffin went from one city where he is now portrayed as the villain, to a town in Louisiana where he has the chance to put LSU back in its rightful place among the yearly elites in an ever-changing world of college athletics. 

"I sure hope that the people there and fans there, as time goes can focus on the amazing six years and college football run in the history of the school. The greatest regular season ever in the history of the state just happened. I really hope they can focus on that. 

"We were able, with the support of the people there, to put the program on a national stage that it had never been on before, and maintain it there for a number of years," Kiffin said. "It's the passion of the SEC. I understand that, so I don't get emotional like yesterday, like some many people get emotional like that. They change like that. 

"That airport scene, with Knox and I are driving and folks trying to run us off the road man, and the things they said to us."

Make no mistake, the vitriol displayed by Ole Miss fans Sunday as he boarded a plane for Baton Rouge will be waiting for him when the Rebels and Tigers play in Oxford next season. 

Decision On Not Being Allowed To Coach Ole Miss CFP Run

If Ole Miss were to lose in the first round of the CFP, that anger would only intensify in the days that follow. Simply put, he's not outrunning the mess he created while packing up his office and heading for the Oxford airport.

"That may make sense to everyone outside, why the best thing was to keep us all together. It may make sense to all the national media why that made sense. But like you said, he has to live there," Kiffin said on Monday about the decision for him not to coach Ole Miss. 

Kiffin said he wasn't informed until Sunday morning that he would not be able to coach Ole Miss in the playoff, but tried to pitch Ole Miss AD Keith Carter on allowing him a chance to coach. 

On Monday, LSU AD Verge Ausbery told the media that the school was fine with Lane Kiffin coaching LSU in the playoff. 

Lane Kiffin Knew He Wouldn’t Coach Ole Miss In CFP, Even As Some In Media Lobbied For It | Trey Wallace

Lane Kiffin Obviously Won The Press Conference. Will It Last?

He was the King of Louisiana, standing before reporters, boosters and athletic department officials as he officially started his tenure as the head coach of the most important football team in the state. 

The political stunt that Governor Jeff Landry pulled last month while discussing the fallout from Brian Kelly's ouster is old news. A string of harsh words towards the agents and athletic director who approved Kelly's contract was non-existent, as Kiffin signed a deal that will pay him $13 million per season. 

And yes, Kiffin did say he had a phone call with the Governor that was unique. 

So much for that statement about changing contracts moving forward, right? To sweeten the deal, LSU will pay Lane Kiffin what he would've been owed if Ole Miss wins a playoff game, or national championship. Obviously, that takes a highly-influential agent to pull off. That's the exact reason why Kiffin is represented by Jimmy Sexton, who is essentially playing chess with these openings around college football. 

"Basically all four were extremely similar for me. But, the in the process of figuring out the NIL packages, those were not similar. Those were not the same, and that's a big part," Kiffin said about financial packages offered by all schools. 

Obviously, one of the most interesting aspects of his press conference was when Kiffin discussed his conversation with former boss Nick Saban. Currently, Saban is an ambassador for the University of Alabama, along with a host on College Gameday. 

So, was this a conflict of interest? 

In the end, none of this should surprise anyone involved in the business. Not even Ole Miss AD Keith Carter was budging on his stance to not allow Kiffin to coach his team in the college football playoff, which was the right thing to do in the grand scheme of this entire ordeal. 

Well, according to the Ole Miss side, at least. 

Kiffin Better Have LSU Competing For Titles Immediately 

It's one thing to miss out on the college football playoff with a roster that was sustaining turnover. But, Lane Kiffin helped put together the most historic regular season run in Ole Miss history. 

So, the expectations have just been raised on the Bayou, and he had better deliver in a massive way. 

He's not being paid $13 million per season for Brian Kelly results, especially when you consider he hasn't competed for a title yet. No matter how some might have wanted to spin the past week at Ole Miss, his demeanor and actions turned his exit into a television soap opera unfolding in real time. 

Clothes left outside the building, a tarmac interview with ESPN on Sunday evening, followed by a grand arrival that would mirror a Mardi Gras celebration. Lane Kiffin was, and is, the focal point of what could transpire in the years to come with coaches leaving playoff teams for different jobs. 

And I promise you, there were plenty of folks in Gainesville and Oxford watching his press conference this afternoon, wondering aloud why they weren't good enough for Kiffin in the long run. 

The simple answer is one I've been preaching for five years. It comes down to Lane being a short-term rental, always looking for a new spot to show off his talents, if they would have him. 

Standing in front of a packed room inside Tiger Stadium on Monday afternoon, Lane Kiffin found another group to love him and provide the attention he seeks. 

Now we wait to see how long this experiment will last. My money is on at least five years, or until Alabama decides he's done enough to be hired in Tuscaloosa.