Lane Kiffin Reveals Why LSU Football Is 'Just Different' Amid Historic Offseason

Lane Kiffin understands the expectations in Baton Rouge as the LSU Tigers rebuild the culture of the program across his first offseason at the helm of the program, but his efforts are quickly winning over the fanbase.

Once Kiffin accepted the job in the Bayou State, he's utilized the phrase "just different" time and time again when reference the LSU job and the program itself. Why?

The decision-maker of the Tigers took the podium at the Leadership Power Breakfast hosted by the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report this week where he addressed his phrase, why LSU was the right job, and the expectations in Baton Rouge.

The First Two Months:

"This has been an awesome time. I think it’s almost been two months we’ve been here, and basically every day we’ve just been in the office grinding. It’s been a really challenging time to have so much roster turnover and staff turnover and then have to go replace so many things.

"We’ve sat back and looked at it and probably said there’s never been a time like this where anyone’s taken a job and had so many things to do. Besides just the portal and all the roster movement and the situation of how players can leave, there’s so much turnover at every roster in America, especially when there are new jobs.

"But also to have a staff and then have the staff go back and help another team in the conference try to make a national championship run has been really challenging.

Getting Out of Comfort Zone:

"So I really thank our support since we’ve got here. It’s been amazing. Everything we’ve asked for, they’ve been there and given to us. I was sitting there thinking, and both speakers commented on pushing yourselves out of your comfort zone, and that’s really how you become great. That was a lot of this decision-making.

"I was very happy where I was. It was an amazing six years. We were a top-five team in the country, third-winningest program in the SEC over that time. As I sat there and had great options, including staying there, when John Carmouche and Verge and Julie came in and met with me, it was just different. The feeling was different. I know I keep saying it, but it really was.

Nick Saban's Influence:

"I told the story at the press conference. I was torn. When I called Coach Saban and talked it through with him, he said, “You know, Lane, you’ll always regret it if you don’t go to LSU. It’s the best job in America.” When he said that, it really made the decision for me. As I’ve looked at it, it has pushed me. It has gotten me out of my comfort zone. We were doing amazing things, but you come here and you feel the power of the place, and it drives you every day to go to another level.

Assistant Coaching Pool:

"Our assistant coaches have come from a lot of different places, including the NFL, and they’ve won national championships. You feel different. We walk into the stadium at night with recruits, and there’s no crowd there. The lights are on, and we play about a three-minute video of great teams and great players that have been here, and they all say the same thing: “It just feels different.”

"These guys are coming from big-time places in the portal and have played in big-time stadiums. I’m really honored to be here, to represent you guys, and to put together this staff and roster. For those of you that follow it, it’s an exciting time.

The Historic Portal Class:

"I think when these next two days are done, it’ll be the best portal class in the history of college football. There’s still a lot of work to do once they get here, but to assemble that talent, you couldn’t do that anywhere else.

"When I got up there and spoke, I said this is a message to the best players in the country about where to come. We came here together with LSU to give players something to come to and to see early success before we’ve ever won a game. These guys have all the options in the country.

LSU Tigers football. — Dec 1, 2025; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU president Wade Rousse, left, LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin and LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry stand together at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

More to Come in the Portal:

"As you get to this last week and they’ve seen other great players come, we’ve had guys who normally would say, 'You’re already loaded at that position. I’m not coming there.' But when they come, they say, 'Other places might offer more money or a better depth chart, but I don’t care. I want to be part of this special thing.'

"They want to be part of a great LSU team. There have been so many great LSU teams in the past, but now they get a chance to start a new era that changes everything. When they come back 10 or 20 years from now, they’ll say, 'Remember when LSU was down a little bit? We were the team that brought it back.'

What To Expect From LSU:

"It’s an exciting time to put it all together. We create an atmosphere that people want to be at, not have to be at. Our coaches and players feel that. You’ll see very few significant players enter the transfer portal because they really love playing for us.

"If you watched the previous place we were at, you saw a team that played with great energy and passion. They played tough, aggressive football, but they also had a blast doing it. We’ve hit that sweet spot of being really competitive while also creating an environment kids enjoy coming to every day.”

More LSU News:

Nick Saban Names LSU No. 1 Coaching Job in College Football Amid Lane Kiffin Move

Lane Kiffin Pulls Off Historic Feat in Landing Commitment From Princewill Umanmielen

One Underrated Transfer in LSU Football's No. 1 Ranked Portal Class Under Lane Kiffin

Join the Community:

Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers On SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage surrounding the LSU Tigers.