LSU swung for the fences to land Lane Kiffin, but will the hire prove to be a college football grand slam?
That remains to be seen but ESPN is already taking a shot at grading it. ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg is giving Kiffin to LSU an A-.
The 50-year-old Kiffin spent 6 seasons at Ole Miss and is walking away after guiding the program to its winningest season ever (11-1). Meanwhile, LSU (7-5) has managed to qualify for bowl eligibility despite firing Brian Kelly this season.
Here’s Rittenberg’s analysis on the Kiffin hire in Baton Rouge:
The fixation around Kiffin the past few weeks would normally be attached to a multi-time national championship winner, or at least a coach who has won a Power 4 conference title. Kiffin did tremendous work at Ole Miss but still needs to show he can win the biggest games consistently. LSU is a national championship-or-bust type of program, and Kiffin will be judged at the very highest level, which he craves. He brings the right ingredients to get it done in Baton Rouge, especially his work with quarterbacks
Kiffin is now the first person to be a head coach at 3 SEC programs. His time at LSU will definitely provide the brightest spotlight.
