Ole Miss Announces New Contract With Lane Kiffin Moments After SEC Title Game Ends

Love him or hate him, Ole Miss fans, Lane Kiffin is here to stay, at least for several more years. 

Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter announced that the school has agreed to a new contract for the head football coach after a historic season. The new deal will earn him $7.5 million annually, according to ESPN. It's unknown for how long the deal is, though. 

Kiffin is only in his second season as the Rebels' head coach, and led the program to a 10-2 record—the first 10-win regular season in school history. Ole Miss held a perfect 7–0 record at home, and as No. 8 in the country, they're headed to a New Year's Six bowl.

"We are committed to winning championships at Ole Miss, and Coach Kiffin is the person to lead us to those heights," Carter said in the announcement. "With his winning edge, offensive vision and recruiting prowess, he has quickly cemented our team among the best in the nation, and this is just the start. With major facility projects on the horizon, we are investing in this program like never before and look forward to building on the foundation that Coach Kiffin has established."

For the second consecutive season, Ole Miss led the conference in total offense at over 500 yards per game as they head into bowl season. The program has tallied 600 yards of total offense 19 times under Kiffin. Prior to his tenure, Ole Miss only hit that mark 16 times in program history, per the school.

The news comes after a chaotic week on the coaching carousel as Florida hired Louisiana's Billy Napier to replace Dan Mullen, Lincoln Riley shocked fans as he left Oklahoma for USC, Notre Dame's Brian Kelly abruptly departed for LSU and Virginia's Bronco Mendenhall announced he's stepping down after the Cavaliers' bowl game.

But with all of the departures have come hires. Troy brought back Kentucky co-defensive coordinator Jon Sumrall as its head coach while the Fighting Irish promoted defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman. Several members of the staff decided to stay behind when Kelly left, including offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.

And now, Kiffin joins the list. 

"We are extremely appreciative of Chancellor Glenn Boyce, Director of Athletics Keith Carter, and the entire Ole Miss administration for their commitment and support of our football program," Kiffin said. "Sustained success takes a commitment from everyone, and we are excited to continue the work to build a program that makes the entire Ole Miss community proud. I have a tremendous amount of gratitude for our fans, players, and staff. The future is bright! Hotty Toddy."

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