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Ole Miss seemed to finally feel the impact of Lane Kiffin’s controversial pivot to LSU. The Rebels’ Cinderella-like run ended in the Fiesta Bowl, sparking a lucrative payment for the former Ole Miss head coach.
Within the next 30 days, Kiffin will receive a $500,000 bonus.
According to Front Office Sportspart of LSU’s deal to lure Kiffin away from Ole Miss was to pay his bonuses as promised by his former employer. The payment is expected to fall under the “related benefits” category listed in Kiffin’s deal with the Tigers.
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Lane Kiffin speaks at a news conference as he is introduced as the new head coach of the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., Dec. 1, 2025. (Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)
Kiffin’s bonus was split. A $150,000 payment was earmarked when Ole Miss clinched a first-round playoff berth. The Rebels’ advancement to the quarterfinals increased the compensation to $250,000.
The Rebels’ win over Georgia on New Year’s Day increased that bonus to $500,000. Had Ole Miss hoisted the College Football Playoff national championship trophy, Kiffin would have earned a total of $1 million.
Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin throws a football before a game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Oct. 25, 2025. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)
“Coach will be eligible to receive a payment in an amount equal to the amount Coach would have been eligible to receive had he remained the head coach of Coach’s immediate former employer and coached that former employer’s football team through the 2025-26 CFP,” Kiffin’s LSU contract, obtained by On3, states.
“If applicable, the payment under this section may be paid from associated funds and must be paid within 30 days after the former employer’s team has been eliminated from the 2025-26 CFP.”
MIAMI BEATS OLE MISS BEGIN CARSON BECKS’ WINNING TOUCHDOWN TO REACH CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
After dominating Tulane in the first round of the College Football Playoff, the Rebels upset the Georgia Bulldogs in the quarterfinals.
Kiffin celebrated the team’s victory in a post on social media.
“What a great finish!!! So much fun!! Only two more to go,” he wrote in a post on X, tagging the Ole Miss football team.
Mississippi head coach Lane Kiffin watches his team against Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)
Despite being the underdog in Thursday’s semifinal, Ole Miss pushed the favored Miami Hurricanes to the brink. Miami quarterback Carson Beck rushed for a go-ahead touchdown in the game’s final seconds to punch the Hurricanes’ ticket to the national championship game.
Miami now awaits the winner of Friday’s other semifinal game, the Peach Bowl, between Indiana and Oregon.
