Lane Kiffin and LSU: My Take

An Essay

By Eric McQuiston

So the decision has finally been made. Lane Kiffin is the new head coach of LSU football. For weeks the speculation churned through every corner of the college football world, but now that the dust has settled the reaction is exactly what you would expect. Some fans are celebrating the hire, others are skeptical, and a good number feel downright betrayed. That is the nature of college football passion. People invest their heart in these programs. As an LSU alumnus and fan, I meet this news with a mixture of concern, curiosity and a cautious, but very real, optimism.

First things first. Lane Kiffin is a proven head coach. His offensive mind is sharp, his teams play fast and creative football, and he carries a confidence that has lifted every program he has touched. I understand why Ole Miss faithful feel the sting. I have been on the wrong end of that feeling before. I remember exactly how I felt when Nick Saban walked away from LSU for a forgettable stint in the NFL, only to turn around and transform Alabama into a decade-long dynasty. That betrayal lingers. It hardens a fan base. Ole Miss fans will know that feeling now, and I do not dismiss it.

But LSU’s situation is different. We are a program loaded with talent and weighed down by everything else. Discipline has been inconsistent. Execution has been inconsistent. Focus has been inconsistent. If Kiffin can bring stability to a roster stacked with athletes, then this hire has a chance to be something special.

Still, I cannot ignore the concern that LSU may be rolling the dice yet again on a “maybe” hand. I never warmed to Brian Kelly. I always saw him more as a CEO than a coach who thrives in the trenches with his players. His style may have worked up north in the Big Ten, or however many teams are in that conference now, but it never fully translated to the Southeastern Conference. And the truth is, the 2019 championship run was driven more by Joe Burrow than by Ed Ogeron. That team succeeded because Burrow was a once in a generation talent, surrounded by a perfect storm of inspired coordinators and players. Since then LSU has felt like a program caught between potential and identity.

I lived through Stovall, Archer, Hallman and DiNardo. I watched Saban build LSU into a powerhouse, only to bolt. I watched Les Miles win a national championship with the last remnants of Saban's roster. The coaching carousel at LSU has always been a roller coaster. At times it resembles the way the Tigers play on the field: bursts of brilliance mixed with baffling mistakes. They are not called the Cardiac Cats for nothing.

With Kiffin, though, I feel something I have not felt in a while. A sense of cautious optimism. He understands the SEC. He would not have been my first choice, but he inspires genuine loyalty from his players. He seems immersed in the day to day details of coaching, recruiting, culture building and scheme development. And he wins. That counts.

But Lord have mercy, the amount of money LSU has laid out to bring him in makes me nervous. In today’s college football landscape, contracts are becoming as wild as the games themselves. You cannot help but wonder if these enormous deals set the stage for massive disappointment down the road. It is a gamble. No way around that.

Even so, despite my worries, I hope Kiffin finds a long term home in Baton Rouge. I hope he settles in, plants roots and builds something that lasts. LSU has flirted with dynasty status for years. The talent has always been there. What we have lacked is sustained leadership and a stable identity.

Maybe this is the moment when that changes. Maybe this is when LSU steps into the run we have been waiting on since...well...forever. For the sake of every fan who has bled purple and gold through the highs, the heartbreaks and the cardiac finishes, I hope Lane Kiffin is the coach who finally brings it all together.

And if he does, Tiger Stadium will roar like it has not roared in a long time.

Geaux Tigers!