As the new college football season gets going soon, all eyes will be on the LSU Tigers and head coach Lane Kiffin.
After a controversial exit from Ole Miss last year, Kiffin’s new role with the Tigers has been discussed more than ever. There is more pressure on Kiffin entering this season than he’s ever faced before, but he isn’t backing down from the challenges ahead.
Lane Kiffin Embracing LSU Pressure
Ahead of the massive season for the veteran head coach, Kiffin opened up about the weight he feels around the job.
“It was the right decision to take the job … there’s never a minute, second in the day that I’m at LSU that I don’t feel the power of LSU, don’t feel the magnitude of LSU,” Kiffin said.
The LSU fanbase is one of the largest in the country, and everything that Kiffin does will now be placed under a microscope. Not only due to the level of intensity it takes to be the leading person at LSU, but because of how his exit at Ole Miss was.
Kiffin is going to be tested as a coach more than ever before, with each down in every game being viewed as high-stakes. But the coach took the job for one reason: to win.
“One of the benefits is that it pushes me to grow more. The expectation level, as we all know, at LSU is as high as anywhere in any sport in any program,” Kiffin said. “It’s uncomfortable for a lot of people; I like that. That matches with me.”
LSU isn’t seen as the favorites to win this season, but the roster is very talented. Kiffin again worked the transfer portal to his advantage, while having the backing of LSU to help.
The Tigers have the talent needed to become true title contenders this season, and the expectation now is at bare minimum a playoff spot.
LSU hasn’t made the College Football Playoff since 2020 when the program won the National Championship with quarterback Joe Burrow under center.
Kiffin has a legacy to live up to, with three of the last four coaches at LSU bringing a championship to the program early in their tenures. But this isn’t something that Kiffin is running from; instead, the coach is looking to grow as a person and coach.
Lane Kiffin Opens Up on Comfort
Kiffin has faced scrutiny his entire career, with him making enemies of many different programs. But he has learned from everything, and is now looking ahead to the LSU role with a clear mind.
“Even though as you get older, you think of things different stuff, that still in me to not settle in comfort,” Kiffin said. “To push out of comfort zones, that’s still in me as much as it’s great to be comfortable, and many people live in comfort, and they stay, and they don’t take risk and they don’t take chance. And that’s fine for their story. That’s still in there, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”
LSU will be opening its season on Sept. 5 against the Clemson Tigers in Baton Rouge, giving Kiffin a chance to earn a statement win early on in his tenure.
Lane Kiffin Feeling ‘Magnitude’ of LSU Job Entering Crucial Season