https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/sec/2025/11/30/what-lane-kiffin-told-marty-smith-espn-before-boarding-private-jet-for-lsu-coach-hired/87543612007/
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; & lean not unto thine own understanding" — Proverbs 3:5 (KJV)
AI GENERATED:
🟣 Could Lane Kiffin have waited until after the playoffs?
Technically yes, he could have delayed the announcement*.
But in modern college football, this rarely happens because:
🏈 1. Early Signing Period
The early signing period for recruits is in mid-December.
Schools must have a head coach in place before that window opens.
LSU needed to lock Kiffin down now, not after the postseason.
💰 2. Contract Negotiations & Buyouts
These deals involve lawyers, boosters, timing clauses, and millions of dollars.
Once finalized, both sides usually want it public immediately.
🔄 3. Recruiting / Transfer Portal
Transfer portal opens right after the regular season.
If LSU waited, they'd fall behind other programs filling their coaching vacancies.
Players want clarity now, not in a month.
🟠 Why Ole Miss might say:
"No playoff coaching"
This is pretty standard.
Schools often block a departing coach from sticking around for these reasons:
🚫 1. Conflict of Interest
He'd be game-planning for Ole Miss while already employed by LSU — a direct SEC rival.
🔒 2. Access to Team Meetings / Playbook
A departing coach could accidentally or intentionally bring playbook, schemes, or injury info with him to his new employer.
😤 3. Team Morale
Players may not want a coach who already publicly left to lead them in the playoffs.
🟡 So why do fans get frustrated?
Because the system forces shocking timing:
A team can be 12–0
On the brink of a playoff run
And suddenly the coach leaves days after the regular season.
It feels wrong — and fans often say exactly what you said:
"Couldn't he just wait?"
But structurally, the sport almost makes it impossible.
🟢 Bottom Line
Lane Kiffin could have waited, but the entire college football hiring calendar makes that nearly impossible if LSU wanted him — and Ole Miss blocking him from playoff duties is standard operating procedure.