Lane Kiffin immediately meets the No. 1 recruit of 2026 as details of LSU contract emerge

Lane Kiffin’s request to finish the season with Ole Miss was denied — and he has wasted no time getting involved with his new role.

Hours after making his LSU switch official and hopping on a jet, Kiffin was posing with defensive tackle Lamar Brown.

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The 6-foot-4, 290-pound game-wrecker out of Erwinville, Louisiana, committed to the Tigers under former coach Brian Kelly in July.

ESPN had him as the No. 1 recruit in the entire Class of 2026.

Kiffin made sure one of the first calls he made when he arrived in Louisiana was to the man who will likely form the keystone of his defense.

The coach posed next to Hunt, pointing at the five-star recruit, who flashed an ‘L’ sign.

“Welcome Home @Lane_Kiffin #GeauxTigers,” posted the highly-regarded defender on X.

Brown chose LSU, who finished 2025 7-5, over Texas A&M, Miami and Texas.

If he remains in the No. 1 spot, he will be LSU’s first top-ranked recruit since running back Leonard Fournette in 2014.

“It’s something not a lot of kids from Baton Rouge get to do, honestly,” Brown told ESPN after pledging. “Everyone wants to play at Tiger Stadium. I’m blessed to be going to play there.”

Kiffin led Ole Miss into the College Football Playoff with an 11-1 record, but the Egg Bowl victory over rivals Mississippi will be his last after he decided to move to their SEC rivals mid-season.

“After a lot of prayer and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision to accept the head coaching position at LSU,” he wrote in a parting statement.

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“I was hoping to complete a historic six-season run with this year’s team by leading Ole Miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on the team’s incredible success, and investing everything into a playoff run while protecting the program in any areas of concern.

“My request to do so was denied by Keith Carter, despite the team also asking for my continued leadership so they could maintain their high level of performance. Unfortunately, that means Friday’s Egg Bowl was my last game coaching the Rebels.”

According to Wilson Alexander of Nola.com, Kiffin has agreed a seven-year contract worth $91 million deal.

His $13 million annual salary is just 280,000 short of the nation’s best paid coach — Georgia’s Kirby Smart.

Per the terms of his deal, if he wins a national title he will trigger an automatic escalator that would take him into the No. 1 spot.

Only Kiffin, Smart, and Ohio State’s Ryan Day make $12 million plus per year.

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The timing of the Rebels boss’ exit has caused controversy with Ole Miss facing moving down the rankings and potentially losing a home playoff game.

Defensive coordinator Pete Golding has stepped up as and his permanent replacement.

“We could not be more excited to announce Pete Golding as the next head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels,” athletic director Keith Carter wrote in a statement on Sunday. “His tenure will begin immediately as he leads our program in the pursuit of a national title.

“Today’s team meeting was a clear indicator of his ability to galvanize our squad. All of our players and coaches are ecstatic and ready to lock arms for a playoff run.”

ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum told Get Up that he wasn’t moved by the decision.

“Now the difference is you would have had Lane Kiffin as your head coach. Now you have Pete Golding,” Finebaum said. “Anybody heard of him? Not really. Is he a better coach than Lane Kiffin? No, he’s a far inferior coach, but he still has the same team.

“So what does he get out of that team? I think they should stay where they are, but I don’t trust this committee to do that.”

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