03/24/26 05:01:00
Printable Page
03/24 17:00 CDT Lane Kiffin addresses high expectations as LSU opens spring
practice under its new coach
Lane Kiffin addresses high expectations as LSU opens spring practice under its
new coach
By BRETT MARTEL
AP Sports Writer
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) --- Lane Kiffin, wearing a white T-shirt, white shorts
and a white visor, walked off the field after LSU's first spring practice and
wasted little time addressing the stratospheric expectations surrounding his
highly hyped arrival on the bayou.
"Things don't happen overnight," Kiffin cautioned before he'd even been asked a
question by a throng of reporters inside a team meeting room in LSU's football
operations building. "We're making some first steps.
"There's a ton of work," Kiffin continued, "to get the program back up to where
everybody around here wants it to be."
Noting that the Tigers went 7-6 last season, Kiffin added that it's "a long
jump to go to the level that I came here to get at."
Kiffin has begun his tenure by remaking the roster, adding close to 40
transfers and more than a dozen signees. In all, there were 54 new players on
the field to open spring practice.
They include quarterback Sam Leavitt, a transfer from Arizona State who has
spent this offseason recovering from a foot injury that required surgery. He
took part in individual drills, throwing to receivers on a range of short and
longer sidelined and crossing routes. Others include edge rusher Princewill
Umanmielen and linebacker TJ Dottery, who followed Kiffin from rival
Mississippi, and a number of new receivers from programs across the country.
A few more who aren't yet enrolled are expected to arrive during summer.
Still, Kiffin downplayed LSU's depth, asserting that it's difficult to
stockpile talent in this era of player payments and drastically reduced
restrictions on transferring.
"We're going to have really good front-line talent guys on our roster, and
we're going to have some depth issues," Kiffin said. "I'm sure all programs
probably feel that way nowadays."
Kiffin had just coached Ole Miss to an 11-1 regular-season record in 2025 and a
College Football Playoff berth when he was wooed away from the Rebels on Nov.
30 by LSU, which had fired Brian Kelly in late October.
The timing and finances involved in LSU's coaching change highlighted the
increasingly cut-throat, big-money nature of major college football.
With Gov. Jeff Landry wielding political influence over the football program at
his state's flagship university, LSU fired Kelly in Year 4 of a 10-year, $100
million contract --- a move that required the school to absorb a buyout of
about $54 million.
Landry and his key appointees on LSU's Board of Supervisors then pressured
athletic director Scott Woodward to resign. They promoted then-deputy AD and
former LSU football player Verge Ausberry, who in turn pursued Kiffin with a
seven-year, $91 million contract offer and the promise of tens of millions more
to pay players.
Once Kiffin agreed to take the LSU job, he was barred by Ole Miss from
continuing to coach the Rebels in the postseason.
Kelly suggested during a recent media appearance that Kiffin's current roster
might have cost as much as $40 million. LSU has not publicly disclosed specific
figures related to football player payments.
Since Kiffin's arrival in Baton Rouge, he hasn't been shy about posting his
whereabouts on social media, including time spent indulging in some of
Louisiana's renowned cultural traditions.
But after practice, he stressed, "Don't mistake, because, you know, you see me
doing things around the community or a parade or Mardi Gras or a concert, that
there isn't relentless pursuit of greatness here."
Kiffin said he took a moment when he first walked out to practice to reflect
upon how grateful he was to have a chance to coach at LSU, a storied program
with a passionate following and a famous home stadium.
He said he thought about "the responsibility level that I have coming here to
LSU, to the people of Louisiana, the great players and coaches that have been
here before.
"That was pretty cool," he added, "just thinking of that as I walked out on the
field today."
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up
here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football:
https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and
https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
|
