Lane Kiffin Lands in Surprising Spot in SEC Coaches Rankings

He has yet to coach a snap at Tiger Stadium, but under his new program in Baton Rouge, LSU football head coach Lane Kiffin sits near the top of the rankings for SEC coaches. And for good reason.

On3's Crain & Cone recently put out these SEC coaches' rankings in a podcast, putting Georgia's Kirby Smart at the top and Kiffin as a close second while giving their reasoning for each ranking.

That's putting Kiffin over Texas' Steve Sarkisian, Texas A&M's Mike Elko, and Alabama's Kalen DeBoer, coaches who have all led their teams to playoff appearances during their current time leading the programs. But the postseason might not be the biggest deciding factor in these rankings.

The Popularity Vote

LSU head football coach Lane Kiffin — Dec 1, 2025; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin speaks at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium. | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Kiffin just barely won that second-place slot over Sarkisian, mainly because he would be favored to coach the podcast's hosts' teams.

When discussing Texas's ability and the timing of them winning a national championship closing in, all hosts agreed that if it came down to the same team, and roster, they would pick Kiffin to coach it over Sarkisian.

"But it's not by much. And I can 100% understand someone saying Sarkisian being ranked ahead of Lane," said Jake Crain.

So, why is the gap so small? And what did Kiffin do to get that extra push?

Lane Before LSU

Kiffin left his Ole Miss Rebels to join the LSU Tigers at a critical time - during their first playoff berth. During those three games that Ole Miss played, which were coached by interim head coach Pete Goulding, but Kiffin had a huge part in making that history.

"He technically hasn't won a playoff game, but that was Lane Kiffin's team in the playoffs," said Blain Crain.

Someone had to say it. Kiffin might have made an early exit, but if he wasn't there for the regular season, who's to say the Rebels would have been a part of the postseason? And that shows a lot out of Kiffin, because as Blain said in the show, Mississippi doesn't have a lot of resources. Not ones that are anywhere near Texas level.

But he still made the team victorious. And now, he's sitting on a throne of resources that are at that level. He walked into a No. 1 recruiting class for the class of 2026, and $40 million to go with it. Now, he can prove his talent, his success, and his high ranking on one of the biggest stages in college football.

"The beautiful part about it is, there are no more excuses. You're at LSU, buddy," said Jake.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google