How LSU's Hiring of Lane Kiffin Has Immediate Effects on Clemson Tigers

Former Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin shocked the college football world with his move to LSU on Sunday, but the Clemson Tigers are in the crosshairs early of what this can look like.

Earlier this season, both sets of Tigers met at Memorial Stadium, completing the first part of a home-and-home matchup for the 2025-26 season. In a 17-10 loss for Clemson in August, head coach Dabo Swinney and his team are looking for revenge.

On Sept. 5, 2026, LSU and Kiffin, the Tigers’ new head coach, will welcome Clemson to open up their respective seasons. That will be the first time that viewers will be able to see what LSU looks like under the new head coaching regime.

Clemson’s matchup will have much higher implications for those interested in what the new-look LSU team can bring to the table, most likely being a favorite to contend for the national championship next season. However, there is a lot that still needs to happen before the two teams kick off in 10 months.

Both Tigers are losing key pieces on both sides, especially with their senior classes. The starting quarterbacks in this season’s matchup, Cade Klubnik and Garrett Nussmeier, will both be out of eligibility, meaning both teams will look to see changes at their signal-caller.

Clemson has three potential quarterbacks on its roster already that could take the role, with backup Christopher Vizzina being the frontrunner. Redshirt junior Trent Pearman and true freshman Chris Denson are the other two who could be candidates if they choose to stay.

On the flip side, Kiffin will either look in his new depth chart or look to the transfer portal for a quarterback, which he was prone to do during his six-season tenure with the Rebels.

Swinney and Kiffin have only met on the field once during the four-year series between Clemson and Alabama, where Kiffin was the offensive coordinator, in the College Football Playoff. Kiffin and the Crimson Tide were victorious in a 45-40 win in the 2016 national championship. The next year, when Clemson won its second national championship in program history, Kiffin was relieved of his duties earlier that postseason after taking a head coaching job with Florida Atlantic.

Since the Aug. 31 contest, both teams have not met expectations and are out of the AP Top 25. Both teams have a 7-5 record, and LSU lost every ranked matchup it saw after Clemson for the remainder of the season.

Already a storied rivalry that features fights for the name of the “Death Valley” and “Tiger” moniker, now the Sept. 5 contest will have even bigger implications. Both teams are looking to improve from the 2025 season, while showcasing new teams that are contending for a national championship.