'Lane Kiffin Rule' Proposed As Part of New Legislation Aimed at College Sports Reform

Lane Kiffin just keeps getting more attention, now having a rule named after him in a bill aimed to fix college sports.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., struck a deal on a bipartisan bill that has been dubbed the 'Protect College Sports Act,' aimed to address issues such as transfers, eligibility and NIL.

“This bipartisan bill is designed to save the part of college sports that fans actually care about,” Cruz told Yahoo Sports.

The 'Lane Kiffin Rule'

Lane Kiffin speaks at his introductory press conference | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Kiffin has only been the LSU head coach for six months and is already getting mentioned in legislation in Washington D.C.

The rule that is being nicknamed for the Tigers' coach "makes it illegal for coaches to leave their teams before the season concludes, and schools cannot hire coaches before a season concludes."

Kiffin famously left Ole Miss for LSU while the Rebels were still playing, but he's not the only one who would have been affected by this if the rule had been in place prior to 2025.

Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall was hired by Florida while the Green Wave were still competing in the College Football Playoff. Sumrall said he wouldn't have taken the Florida job if Tulane didn't allow him to keep coaching in the playoff.

Alex Golesh left USF before its bowl game to become the Auburn head coach. Ryan Silverfield took the Arkansas job and ditched Memphis before its bowl game as well.

If the bill passes with this rule, it might be the end of the bowl season. No school would want to lose the chance of hiring a shiny, new head coach just to play in a bowl game.

While Florida, Auburn and Arkansas all were under the six-win threshold to make a bowl game, it could deter 6-6 or 7-5 teams from wanting to play in a bowl if a new coach can be hired sooner. After all, LSU hired Kiffin before the Tigers played in the 2025 Texas Bowl.

While the rule is mainly meant to protect schools from their coaches leaving before the season ends, it can easily have a negative effect on those still in the hiring cycle.

Kiffin not the only LSU coach in trouble?

Will Wade points while coaching LSU in a basketball game | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Will Wade could also be affected by this bill if it passes.

The bill "establishes a five-year eligibility length for college athletes and prohibits professional athletes — even those having competed internationally — from participating in college sports if they earned compensation in their pro careers beyond prize money."

Wade's current class of commits consists of four players who have played professionally in international leagues, as well as RJ Luis who has signed contracts with NBA teams but never played in a game.

While this bill will take a while to pass, Wade's recruiting strategy could take a hit following this year.

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