Colin Cowherd Names Major College Football Coach the 'Symbol' of the Sport

LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin has become the talk of college football this season. Kiffin took over the Tigers after six seasons leading the Ole Miss Rebels.

Lane Kiffin Is the Talk of College Football

Kiffin went 55-19 in his six seasons in Oxford, leading the team to four double-digit-win seasons in his last five years there. That includes an 11-1 regular season last year and the program's first berth in the College Football Playoff.

Kiffin made some offseason headlines for that move, and also trying to add former NFL players to the LSU roster. Those players were a part of the 2022 recruiting class, but weren't grandfathered into the new five-for-five rule. They received a Temporary Restraining Order, making them eligible; however, the SEC deemed them ineligible. LSU has since moved on.

Kiffin then made headlines on the field. His Tigers dominated the Clemson Tigers 51-10 in the opener. This marked the largest margin of defeat in the Dabo Swinney era.

LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Colin Cowherd Says Lane Kiffin Is College Football's Villain

Due to all of this, Kiffin has become college football's villain. However, Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd said on his show, "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," that Kiffin's actions are good for the sport.

"Every sport needs a villain," Cowherd said. "In baseball, it's the Yankees or the Dodgers. Every sport needs a villain. LeBron has been a little bit of that sometimes. In a sport that's never been more transactional, could I not argue that Lane Kiffin is the symbol of college football? ... I look at Lane, and he is the rockstar of the South... my take is it's good for the sport."

Kiffin Is Backing Up the Attention With Results at LSU

There is certainly an argument that Kiffin's willingness to embrace controversy has made him one of the most recognizable coaches in the country. But what makes the storyline more compelling is that his LSU team has immediately given him results to match the attention. The Tigers didn't just beat Clemson in Kiffin's debut; they dominated one of the sport's most recognizable programs from start to finish.

That combination could make Kiffin difficult to ignore throughout the season. His personality will continue to generate strong opinions, but if LSU continues winning at the level it showed against Clemson, the attention won't simply be about Kiffin's antics. He'll be giving fans a compelling team to watch, making his role as college football's villain and Cowherd's argument that he is good for the sport even harder to dismiss.

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