Joel Klatt Ranks College Football's Top-10 Coaches With LSU's Lane Kiffin Making Cut

Kiffin remains one of America's top shot-callers, Klatt includes the Tigers' head coach among his Top-10.

Jan 2, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Fox Sports broadcaster Joel Klatt emcees the Holiday Bowl trophy presentation at Snapdragon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In a move that sent shockwaves across college football, Lane Kiffin made the decision to depart the Ole Miss Rebels for the LSU Tigers head coaching gig on Nov. 30.

The call quickly took the country by storm with Kiffin departing Oxford amid a College Football Playoff run with the Rebels for the Bayou Bengals' job amid a rebuild in Baton Rouge.

There has been no shortage of buzz since Kiffin arrived in the Bayou State with championship expectations rising with new leadership in town - alongside the program assembling the No. 1 Transfer Portal Class in America.

“This place is built for championships with championship expectations. We understand that, but as an elite competitor, that’s exactly what you want, and that’s why we’re here,” Kiffin said at his introductory press conference. …

"I know that we have, with the passion of LSU family and our LSU players, that we have everything to bring championship football back to LSU.

“It’s time for LSU to take its place back as the best program in all of college football. … I’m uniquely prepared at 50 years old for this job to have been so many places, done good things, made a lot of mistakes and made them really early on.”

Courtesy of Ty Benefield's Instagram.

LSU is piquing the interest of the national media heading into the 2026 season with Fox Sports' Joel Klatt revealing his "way-too-early" Top-10 last month following the Indiana Hoosiers' National Championship victory.

Kiffin and the Bayou Bengals came in at No. 8 in the early rankings headlined by Oregon at the No. 1 slot.

No. 1: Oregon Ducks
No. 2: Georgia Bulldogs
No. 3: Indiana Hoosiers
No. 4: Ohio State Buckeyes
No. 5: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
No. 6: Texas Longhorns
No. 7: Miami Hurricanes
No. 8: LSU Tigers
No. 9: Michigan Wolverines
No. 10: Texas Tech Red Raiders

But Klatt has doubled down on his belief in Kiffin and Co. where he labeled the LSU shot-caller as a Top-10 head coach in college football.

Courtesy of Adrian Lamb on X.

No. 1: Curt Cignetti - Indiana
No. 2: Ryan Day - Ohio State
No. 3: Kirby Smart - Georgia
No. 4: Dan Lanning - Oregon
No. 5: Marcus Freeman - Notre Dame
No. 6: Steve Sarkisian - Texas
No. 7: Kyle Whittingham - Michigan
No. 8: Kalani Sitake - BYU
No. 9: Mario Cristobal - Miami
No. 10: Lane Kiffin - LSU

LSU's shot-caller remains in the spotlight amid a historic offseason in Baton Rouge, and with championship expectations rising heading into the 2026 season, all eyes remain on the Tigers.

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Paul Finebaum Reveals Bold Statement on LSU Football's Lane Kiffin Amid Major Move

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