LSU Football Legend Endorses Lane Kiffin's Move to Baton Rouge, Checks All The Boxes

The Lane Kiffin era is officially underway in Baton Rouge with the LSU Tigers beginning the early phases of his tenure after arriving on Nov. 30.

In an unprecedented move, Kiffin departed the No. 6 ranked Ole Miss Rebels (11-1, 7-1 SEC) amid a College Football Playoff run in Oxford.

Ole Miss will host the Tulane Green Wave on Dec. 20 in the first-round of the College Football Playoff, but Kiffin will not be on the sidelines coaching the team after his request to do so was denied by officials in Oxford.

"I was hoping to complete a historic six season run with this year's team by leading Ole Miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on the team's incredible success and their commitment to finish strong, and investing everything into a playoff run with guardrails in place to protect the program in any areas of concern," Kiffin wrote in a statement.

"My request to do so was denied by Keith Carter despite the team also asking him to allow me to keep coaching them so they could better maintain their high level of performance. Unfortunately, that means Friday's Egg Bowl was my last game coaching the Rebels."

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

Now, it's about building a dynasty in Baton Rouge with Kiffin receiving the stamp of approval from an LSU Football icon on Thursday.

Tyrann Mathieu hopped on The Paul Finebaum Show where he dove into his excitement surrounding the new era with Kiffin at the helm.

“I’m excited about it, first and foremost,” Mathieu told Finebaum. “I think Lane (Kiffin) is going to bring to LSU, really, what all of us alumni and fans have been craving, outside of the Joe Burrow era.

"How can we run the football? How can we push it down the field? How can we score points? From that perspective, I think Lane checks all those boxes.”

Kiffin and Co. have started assembling a staff in Louisiana while preparing for the NCAA Transfer Portal window that is set to open in the coming weeks across Jan. 2-16.

More LSU News:

LSU Football Hires Elite Offensive Coordinator, Five Assistant to Lane Kiffin's Staff

Three Takeaways From Lane Kiffin's Introductory Press Conference With LSU Football

Lane Kiffin Reveals How Nick Saban, Pete Carroll Influenced Decision to LSU Football

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