Lane Kiffin Pays Homage To Former USC Star With Holiday Decoration

Former USC Trojans coach Lane Kiffin posted a picture of some of his holiday decorations on social media this past week. There was an ornament of a picture of him and his starting quarterback at USC from 2010-2012, Matt Barkley.

Sep 21, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans coach Lane Kiffin before the game against the Utah State Aggies at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Imagn Images

Lane Kiffin was the head coach of the USC Trojans from 2010-2013. Kiffin is no stranger to being active on social media. Kiffin recently posted a picture of an ornament on his Christmas tree. It was of him and former USC quarterback Matt Barkley. 

Lane Kiffin-Matt Barkley Connection

Dec 31, 2012; El Paso, TX, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley before the Sun Bowl against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Sun Bowl stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre-Imagn Images | Ivan Pierre Aguirre-US PRESSWIRE

Lane Kiffin posted a picture of the ornament of him at USC with his quarterback during his first few seasons at USC coach. Take a look below.

⁦@uscfb⁩ pic.twitter.com/5PwkiulF6T

— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) December 26, 2025

Matt Barkley played at USC for four seasons, from 2009-2012. In 47 games played, Barkley threw for 12,327 yards and 116 touchdowns. USC’s best season with Barkley was in 2011, when they went 10-2. Unfortunately for the Trojans, this came in a year where the program was still facing a postseason ban. They were not eligible to play in the Pac-12 Championship game or a Bowl game. 

After his collegiate career came to a close Barkley was selected in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Aug 29, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Matt Barkley (2) during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Philadelphia won 39-26. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Barkley’s NFL career didn’t pan out as he played sparingly in the league from 2013 through 2023. His career stats in the NFL are 2,699 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions. The most he saw the field in a single season was in 2016 with the Chicago Bears.

Barkley had six of his seven career starts in this season and threw for 1,611 yards, eight touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. The Bears had a record of 1-5 in those games. 

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Lane Kiffin's Coaching Journey

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

Barkley was Kiffin’s quarterback from 2010-2012 at USC. The two had a record together of 25-13. Kiffin’s first year without Barkley was in 2013. After a 3-2 start, USC parted ways with Kiffin. His final record as USC coach was 28-15. 

Since then, Kiffin has had a rollercoaster of a coaching career. After spending time with the Alabama as an assistant coach under Nick Saban, Kiffin took the head coaching job with the FAU Owls. In three seasons at FAU from 2017-2019, Kiffin had a record of 26-13. He ended up accepting the head coaching job with the Ole Miss Rebels prior to the 2020 season. 

Kiffin had a very successful run at Ole Miss from 2020-2025, with an overall record of 55-19. Kiffin controversially left at the conclusion of the 2025 regular season despite Ole Miss making the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history. He decided to accept the vacant head coaching position with the LSU Tigers, where he will coach his first game at in the fall of 2026. 

Ole Miss on the other hand has an upcoming College Football Playoff game for a spot in the semi-finals. They will be facing the Georgia Bulldogs. The Rebels beat the Tulane Green Wave in their first round game.