LSU predicted to target rising college football coach as alternative to Lane Kiffin

LSU's high-stakes coaching search has revolved around a few big games, bit one name has dominated the cycle: Lane Kiffin. But, as the Tigers wait on the Ole Miss coach to make a decision, another SEC head man is increasingly being framed as the program's next move if Kiffin says no — Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz.

LSU fired Brian Kelly on Oct. 26 after a 5-3 start and a tenure that never reached the national-title standard set by Nick Saban, Les Miles and Ed Orgeron. Kelly went 34-14 in Baton Rouge but failed to win an SEC championship or reach the College Football Playoff, and he reportedly will receive a buyout of more than $50 million. The firing triggered one of the biggest coaching searches in recent memory and prompted Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry to say publicly that athletic director Scott Woodward will not be allowed to choose Kelly's successor after a series of expensive contracts.

Despite that political noise, multiple outlets have described Kiffin as LSU's clear No. 1 target. Reportedly the Tigers are willing to make Kiffin the highest-paid coach in football, and members of his family have already toured Baton Rouge on a private jet arranged by LSU officials. Local TV and national reports have even tracked plane movements from Oxford to Louisiana as the search ramps up.

Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

But if Kiffin chooses to stay at Ole Miss or heads to another opening such as Florida, attention is expected to shift quickly to Drinkwitz. On3's Pete Nakos reported that LSU, like Florida, is positioning itself to make a run at Kiffin, and "if Kiffin does not pick LSU, whenever that may be, the expectation is that Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz will be a key name to watch." That type of intel makes Drinkwitz — who is working under a deal worth a reported $46.5 million through 2029 — a prime candidate if LSU needs an alternative.

Drinkwitz has turned Missouri into one of the SEC's most consistent winners, posting back-to-back seasons of 11-2 and 10-3 in 2023 and 2024 and earning SEC Coach of the Year honors in 2023. Missouri enters mid-November at 7-3 in 2025 and ranked in the CFP Top 25, with a 26-5 stretch over its previous 31 games.

On The McShay Show, draft analyst Todd McShay has repeatedly spotlighted Drinkwitz and Missouri as legitimate SEC and CFP contenders. McShay has also argued in separate episodes that schools in need of an offensive jolt should be looking at coaches in the Kiffin mold, which supports the logic of LSU viewing Drinkwitz as a stylistically similar fallback.

Missouri extended Drinkwitz through 2029 at roughly $9 million per year, and reports indicate his buyout would be around $5 million if he left before Dec. 1, 2025, decreasing in future years. That is not an obstacle LSU cannot clear, but it runs head-on into Landry's insistence that the school avoid another massive, coach-friendly contract in the wake of Kelly's buyout. Obviously, the exception seems to be Kiffin in that department.

For now, LSU remains locked on Kiffin. But based on what multiple outlets have reported — and on how McShay and others are talking about him — Drinkwitz looks less like a consolation prize and more like the next SEC star waiting in the on-deck circle if the Kiffin pursuit comes up short.

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