Lane Kiffin knew how high the expectations would be when he took the job to be the head coach of the LSU Tigers.
As Kiffin put it, “It’s just different.”
While those differences certainly refer to what is expected of the LSU head coach, Kiffin was quick to point out how they are also going to be the things that he believes will help him be successful in Baton Rouge.
“You know, one of the things at LSU in taking it was talking about the opportunities for the football players and the ability to recruit great players around the country. One of those things is branding. That’s one of the reasons you come to LSU. We talk about it being just different,” Kiffin said during his address of the media at SEC Football Media Days in Tampa, Florida on Thursday.
“Our left tackle has an NIL deal with Nike. There has never been an offensive lineman ever to have one in college with Nike. That’s one of the things when you talk about LSU being different and why it is a different place to come, and when you come and the association with LSU and the branding that goes with that nationally has really been amazing to see,” Kiffin described.
There will of course be pressure to win right away for Kiffin. He knows that. But still, he wants it known that his total vision is going to take more than one year.
“We’ve put together a roster that can win now, but as I look at when you build the program, where it really will go to another level is how you build your depth, and that you can’t necessarily build the first year, but then you can once you sign the high school players and back-to-back classes and portal players,” Kiffin said.
Still, the time for patience won’t be in the first month of the season. LSU opens with Clemson, then eventually faces Ole Miss on the road and Texas A&M all before the month of September ends. It appears, however, that the difficult start seems to have Kiffin and company locked in.
“The excitement of the schedule and to coach in Tiger Stadium and have the big opener against Clemson just really every day pushes us to be the best and really is exciting to get back there,” he said about nearing the start of the season.
Expectations are high, and so are the aspirations of Lane Kiffin. All that’s left to see is how this team handles those things in 2026.