The Lane Kiffin Saga is over.
Well, sort of.
After weeks of courtship from both Florida and LSU, as well as just-short-of-begging from current employer Ole Miss, Kiffin as Saturday stretched into Sunday morning began to signal to those at both LSU and within the Ole Miss community that he would accept LSU's long-term offer of at least six years.
Following weeks of drama, Kiffin it seems is Boot-bound.
Kiffin has agreed to replace Brian Kelly as LSU's next head coach, and he'll become college football's highest-paid coach -- for now, anyway -- in the process.
Sources late Saturday night in Louisiana told FootballScoop that Kiffin intended to address his Ole Miss team early this morning; he's expected to fly to Baton Rouge in the early afternoon hours, sources also shared.
Since Florida and LSU opened in the back half of the 2025 regular season, Kiffin had been linked -- and offered, per numerous sources to FootballScoop -- both vacant positions.
Ultimately, sources told FootballScoop, LSU Athletics Director Verge Ausberry left nothing to chance in his quest to find a top-tier coach to replace the fired Kelly, who arrived at LSU as Notre Dame's all-time winningest coach and touted the championship aspirations and expectations of the Bayou Bengals.
Ausberry deployed former LSU national championship-winning coach Nick Saban, who would add six additional crowns during his tenure at Alabama, to speak with Kiffin on more than one instance about the benefits of the LSU job, sources told FootballScoop on multiple occasions.
Additionally, LSU officials arranged for Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry to speak with Kiffin by phone in what sources said was a lengthy conversation.
Kiffin, in recent weeks, battled an inner struggle between the prestige of the LSU job -- which has seen Saban, Les Miles and Ed Orgeron all win at least one national championship this century -- and the desire to see to the finish line the work done at Ole Miss.
The Rebels capped the most successful regular-season in program history Friday with an resounding 38-19 win at Mississippi State in the annual 'Egg Bowl' rivalry; the win pushed Kiffin to 5-1 all-time against the Bulldogs.
Ole Miss is projected as a virtual lock to both advance into and host a first-round game in next month's 12-team College Football Playoff. The Rebels were tabbed No. 7 this past week in the official CFP Top 25 rankings; seeds 5-8 host opening-round games on their respective campuses.
While Kiffin has regularly received contract amendments, extensions and raises since he arrived in Oxford, Mississippi, from his work atop the Florida Atlantic University program, he rarely has seen Ole Miss officials demand an increase in Kiffin's buyout to leave the program. Per his contract, which is part of public record due to the public-school status of Ole Miss, Kiffin -- or his next employer -- is responsible for paying Ole Miss approximately $4 million to buy out his more than $50 million pact.
Kiffin in 14 seasons as a collegiate head coach has posted a winning record 12 times; he's also guided the Rebels to 32 wins in the past three seasons, also a school record.
Among potential early contenders to replace Ole Miss is current Rebels defensive coordinator Pete Golding. Sources told FootballScoop this week that if Kiffin did indeed follow through with leaving, Golding already had received internal support and also "has the money people pushing for him."
Golding's been defensive coordinator to both Saban and Kiffin during his career; he's also spent eight total seasons of his coaching career in the Magnolia State, with previous stops at both Delta State and Southern Miss.
Joe Judge, already on the Ole Miss staff and a former NFL head coach, also is expected to garner consideration for the job.
Record-setting Tulane coach Jon Sumrall has been viewed as a potential target, but Sumrall has emerged as a top choice for that vacant Florida Gators post.