{"id":13028,"date":"2026-07-21T23:57:43","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T18:57:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=13028"},"modified":"2026-07-21T23:57:43","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T18:57:43","slug":"what-does-a-realistically-successful-first-year-look-like-for-head-coach-lane-kiffin-at-lsu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=13028","title":{"rendered":"What does a realistically successful first year look like for head coach Lane Kiffin at LSU?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">As SEC Media Days continue in Tampa, each program as well as their individual fanbases are starting to see a clearer picture about the expectations they will face for the 2026 season.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">For schools like Texas and Georgia, the belief is that this year &#8211; as is the case with most years in Austin and Athens, respectively &#8211; is championship or bust, while other schools like <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_902423\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/sports\/ncaa\/kentucky-wildcats\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Kentucky and Arkansas<\/a> are breaking in first-year head coaches and are coming off lackluster campaigns in 2025.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">One program that has a first-year head coach but is expected to compete for a national championship is LSU, who went out and acquired Lane Kiffin from <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_902424\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/sports\/ncaa\/ole-miss-rebels\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">SEC rivals Ole Miss<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_902425\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/adding-ed-orgeron-staff-lane-kiffin-lsu-address-key-flaw-previous-regime\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>BY ADDING ED ORGERON TO STAFF, LANE KIFFIN AND LSU ADDRESS KEY FLAW FROM PREVIOUS REGIME<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/343\/192\/lane-kiffin-speaks-lsu-opening-presser.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/686\/384\/lane-kiffin-speaks-lsu-opening-presser.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/672\/378\/lane-kiffin-speaks-lsu-opening-presser.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1344\/756\/lane-kiffin-speaks-lsu-opening-presser.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1200\/675\/lane-kiffin-speaks-lsu-opening-presser.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Lane Kiffin speaks\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Lane Kiffin speaks at a press conference as he is introduced as the new head football coach of the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Dec. 1, 2025.<\/span> <span>(Tyler Kaufman\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">To be fair, those expectations always exist at a place like LSU, but when you marry them with a coach who took an SEC compatriot with far less resources to <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_902426\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/sports\/ncaa\/college-football-bowl-season\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">the College Football Playoff<\/a> just one season ago, the spotlight only gets brighter.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Kiffin has done his best to try and temper the aspirations of Tiger fans, requesting patience during spring practice, but the public pricetag of this roster &#8211; rumored to be around $40 million &#8211; means there isn&#8217;t a lot of room for error in the court of public opinion.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Whether that&#8217;s fair or not remains to be seen, but let&#8217;s discuss what a realistic and successful season looks like for Kiffin and the Bayou Bengals in year one.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_902427\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/5-most-disappointing-preseason-top-10-college-football-teams-21st-century\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>THE 5 MOST DISAPPOINTING PRESEASON TOP-10 COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAMS OF THE 21ST CENTURY<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The aforementioned $40 million roster is definitely a factor in all of this, and it cannot be ignored, but plenty of the most expensive <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_902428\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/sports\/ncaa-fb\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">rosters in college football<\/a> have failed to win national titles in the past.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Everyone remembers Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&amp;M&#8217;s doomed 2022 season or Texas&#8217; lackluster campaign from just one year prior.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Those programs are both notorious for dumping big money into their football teams, so just having an expensive roster doesn&#8217;t always mean immediate success.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_902429\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/inside-fight-nil-arms-race-fueling-new-push-college-football-playoff-expansion\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>INSIDE THE FIGHT: NIL ARMS RACE FUELING NEW PUSH FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF EXPANSION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/343\/192\/lane-kiffin-press-conference.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/686\/384\/lane-kiffin-press-conference.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/672\/378\/lane-kiffin-press-conference.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1344\/756\/lane-kiffin-press-conference.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1200\/675\/lane-kiffin-press-conference.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Lane Kiffin at an introductory press conference\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>LSU football head coach Lane Kiffin speaks at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium on Dec. 1, 2025 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.<\/span> <span>(Matthew Hinton\/Imagn Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">We also have to take into account the simple fact that the Tigers haven&#8217;t made <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_902430\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/sports\/ncaa\/college-football-bowl-season\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">the College Football Playoff<\/a> since 2019, when Ed Orgeron guided a star-studded LSU team to a 15-0 record and a national championship.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">We are coming up on seven years since that historic season, and the Tigers don&#8217;t have anything to show for their efforts in the meantime.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">With that being said, anything but a Playoff appearance should be considered a failure for Kiffin and LSU in year one.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Fans expecting a national championship need to pump their brakes a bit, but there is no excuse for this team and coaching staff not to at least make the big dance in 2026.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The Tigers may very well boast one of the best coordinator tandems in the SEC in offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. and defensive coordinator Blake Baker.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">When you couple that with all the talent that is littered across this roster, including a consensus top-ranked transfer portal class this offseason, it&#8217;s fair to expect this team to at least compete for top status in the SEC.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Making the CFP should be the goal in year one, and once you make the postseason tournament, you can recalibrate your expectations accordingly from there.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">While it&#8217;s fair for Kiffin to ask for patience, he needs to be more specific.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Patience with regard to winning the whole thing is warranted, but if the first-year head coach thinks an 8-4 season and an invite to the Gator Bowl will earn him an &#8220;atta boy&#8221; from the fanbase, he is sorely mistaken.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Kiffin isn&#8217;t a stranger to the SEC. He knows the expectations are high, especially at a conference blue-blood like LSU.<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/343\/192\/lsu-tigers-celebrate-clemson-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/686\/384\/lsu-tigers-celebrate-clemson-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/672\/378\/lsu-tigers-celebrate-clemson-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1344\/756\/lsu-tigers-celebrate-clemson-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1200\/675\/lsu-tigers-celebrate-clemson-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"LSU Tigers CB Mansoor Delane celebrates a defensive stop against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in South Carolina.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>LSU Tigers CB Mansoor Delane celebrates a defensive stop against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in South Carolina.<\/span> <span>(Ken Ruinard\/USA TODAY Network)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The talent is abundant. The coaching staff is elite.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">I expect the Tigers to compete for championships as long as Kiffin still resides in Baton Rouge, but I also don&#8217;t expect a year one without any hiccups.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Even a demigod like <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_902431\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/indiana-coach-curt-cignetti-becomes-unstoppable-latest-development-recruiting-trail\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Curt Cignetti needed a year<\/a> to get his feet underneath him at Indiana.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Worry not, LSU fans. You hired the right guy.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The only one who can stop Kiffin and the Tigers once this thing gets rolling is Kiffin himself.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">That&#8217;s as scary for other SEC fans to hear as it is for LSU fans.<\/p>\n<p> <!----> <!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p>Austin Perry is a writer for OutKick.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As SEC Media Days continue in Tampa, each program as well as their individual fanbases are starting to see a clearer picture about the expectations they will face for the 2026 season. For schools like Texas and Georgia, the belief is that this year &#8211; as is the case with most years in Austin and&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13029,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/lane-kiffin-press-conference.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13028"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13028\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}