LSU finally got their man, and they didn't particularly care how many eggs they had to break to make this particular omelet. It's not officially official yet, but we know that Lane Kiffin will be leaving Ole Miss for Baton Rouge; the only questions that remain are 1) when exactly he goes and 2) what exactly he takes with him.
Kiffin tried to strong-arm the Rebels into letting him finish out the remainder of this season — which fell short of an SEC title game appearance but will include the program's first-ever College Football Playoff berth — only for Ole Miss to suddenly rediscover its spine and tell its now-former coach that this wouldn't fly.
Lane Kiffin's dramatic exit from Ole Miss isn't surprising
In response, Kiffin took the low road, reportedly threatening to poach everything he could and telling members of his coaching staff that if they didn't get on a plane for LSU now, they wouldn't have a job waiting for them later.
In short: It's a complete and total mess. Bridges haven't been so much burned as detonated with an atom bomb. Not that anyone associated with LSU much cares, of course; after all, the Tigers got their man, the clear-cut No. 1 option on the market, a proven winner who elevated Ole Miss to unheard-of heights during his time in Oxford. But while Louisiana can take a victory lap now, they shouldn't ignore that nagging feeling for too long. Because the Kiffin we're seeing right now is the Kiffin they're getting, warts and all, and it's only a matter of time before what's best for Lane might not be what's best for LSU.
Lane Kiffin's departure from Ole Miss is much worse than just a product of the calendar
Over the last few weeks, as Kiffin held the sport hostage and speculation swirled about whether he'd stay at Ole Miss or bolt to either LSU or Florida, certain corners of the college football world made excuses for the mess he'd made, arguing that it was simply the byproduct of an impossible calendar. Which, to be fair, isn't untrue: Early signing day is just days away, after all, and the transfer portal window opens on Jan. 2. Any program in the Tigers' position couldn't afford to wait until Ole Miss' season had run its course.
But Kiffin is still very much in control of how the departure happens. Sure, you've decided to leave for richer pastures, and sure, that decision has to happen earlier than it probably should due to NCAA incompetence. He could have notified everyone weeks ago, though, unless you truly believe he was torn and preoccupied by prayer this whole time. (If so, I have some beachfront property in Kansas to sell you.) The reality is that Kiffin was, all along, doing what was best for Lane: He wanted more money, but he also wanted to exert maximum leverage and coach a Playoff team.
All of which is his right. He's a highly coveted candidate in this coaching cycle, and not without reason. But this is who Kiffin has always been, the sort of guy more than willing to blow up multiple programs in order to bend everyone to his whim. LSU would do well to remember that.
Kiffin was LSU's dream candidate, but the downside is extreme
Again: No one can blame LSU for prioritizing Kiffin, and doing what it took to get him. For as checkered a start as his coaching career got off to, his work at Ole Miss is inarguably impressive: You could make the case that this is the best extended stretch the Rebels have ever had, with double-digit wins in four of the last five seasons and a Playoff appearance on tap. Combine that with what he did at Alabama as OC under Nick Saban and his excellent job at a notoriously difficult place like FAU, and you get a top-tier candidate, one who clearly knows how to win in the NIL era.
Of course, the same could pretty much be said for Brian Kelly, who guided Notre Dame out of the wilderness and into a national title game appearance over his time in South Bend. Heck, Kelly had a more consistent track record of winning than Kiffin did, with great stints at Central Michigan and Cincinnati that earned him the gig. Sure, Kelly had well-documented personality concerns, and left the Irish in a way that made him few friends and tons of enemies, but that was a price worth paying.
And now, just a few years later, here we are again, with LSU hitching its wagon to a successful megalomaniac at a historic price tag. Maybe it'll all work out; Kiffin is a very good coach, and it's not hard to compete nationally in Baton Rouge. The hard part has been sustaining it, and Kiffin is as combustible a personality as Kelly or Ed Orgeron or any of the coaches of years past that have burned out with the Tigers. Kiffin's ego is as big as his talent, and it feels like just a matter of time before he's subtweeting the governor or irking boosters who haven't catered to him in the way he demands.