Lane Kiffin
Lane Kiffin went 121–55 as a head coach, 2009–2026, at Tennessee, USC, Florida Atlantic, Ole Miss and LSU. Wikipedia’s season articles record one season differently (2026, 4–2); by them his record is 120–55. Share
- Record
- 121–55 career
- Seasons
- 15
- Schools
- 5
- Final AP top 10
- 2 seasons
- Born
- May 9, 1975
- Alma mater
- Fresno State 1998
- Best season
- 2011 10–2, No. 6
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Tennessee | 7–6 | T–2nd (Eastern) | Chick-fil-A Bowl L | ||
| 2010 | USC | 8–5 | T–3rd | |||
| 2011 | USC | 10–2 | 1st (South) | 6 | ||
| 2012 | USC | 7–6 | T–2nd (South) | Sun Bowl L | ||
| 2013 | USC coached five of 14 games | 3–2 | Las Vegas Bowl W | |||
| 2014–16: not a college head coach | ||||||
| 2017 | Florida Atlantic | 11–3 | 1st (East) | Boca Raton Bowl W | ||
| 2018 | Florida Atlantic | 5–7 | 5th (East) | |||
| 2019 | Florida Atlantic | 10–3 | 1st (East) | Boca Raton (not coached) | ||
| 2020 | Ole Miss | 5–5 | 5th (Western) | Outback Bowl W | ||
| 2021 | Ole Miss | 10–3 | 2nd (Western) | Sugar Bowl L | 11 | |
| 2022 | Ole Miss | 8–5 | T–3rd (Western) | Texas Bowl L | ||
| 2023 | Ole Miss | 11–2 | T–2nd (Western) | Peach Bowl W | 9 | |
| 2024 | Ole Miss | 10–3 | T–4th | Gator Bowl W | 11 | |
| 2025 | Ole Miss | 11–1 | T–1st | CFP First Round (not coached) | ||
| 2026 | LSU | 5–2 (Wikipedia: 4–2) | ||||
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table.
Players he coached
Walter NolenConsensus All‑American, 2024
Tyron SmithNo. 9 pick, 2011
Dan WilliamsNo. 26 pick, 2010- Nick PerryNo. 28 pick, 2012
- Jaxson DartNo. 25 pick, 2025
- Matt Barkley2012 Wuerffel Trophy
Every player from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 44 | 17–27 | 39% |
| Against top-10 teams | 24 | 7–17 | 29% |
| Against rivals | 61 | 35–26 | 57% |
| Conference games | 121 | 79–42 | 65% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 9 | 5–4 | 56% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 56 | 29–27 | 52% |
| At home | 101 | 80–21 | 79% |
| On the road | 74 | 42–32 | 57% |
| At neutral sites | 10 | 6–4 | 60% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 129 | 107–22 | 83% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 56 | 21–35 | 38% |
His own 185 games on file, 2009–2026, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Kelly 2010–2025 | 3–5 | Notre Dame, LSU | 8 | |
| Sam Pittman 2020–2025 | 4–2 | Arkansas | 6 | |
| Nick Saban 2009–2023 | 0–5 | Alabama | 5 | |
| Mark Stoops 2020–2025 | 3–1 | Kentucky | 4 | |
| Mike Leach 2013–2022 | 2–2 | Washington State, Mississippi State | 4 | |
| Jeff Tedford 2010–2012 | 3–0 | California | 3 | |
| Kyle Whittingham 2011–2013 | 3–0 | Utah | 3 | |
| Bobby Wilder 2017–2019 | 3–0 | Old Dominion | 3 | |
| Butch Davis 2017–2019 | 3–0 | Florida International | 3 | |
| Clark Lea 2021–2023 | 3–0 | Vanderbilt | 3 |
Lane Kiffin’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi Stateseries | 7 | 6–1 |
| Arkansasseries | 6 | 4–2 |
| Kentuckyseries | 6 | 4–2 |
| LSUseries | 6 | 3–3 |
| Vanderbiltseries | 5 | 5–0 |
| Auburnseries | 5 | 2–3 |
| UCLAseries | 5 | 2–3 |
| Alabamaseries | 5 | 0–5 |
National title staffs
Every title staff- Won a national title on USC’s 2003 staff (wide receivers) · the staff · source
- Won a national title on USC’s 2004 staff (wide receivers, passing game Coord.) · the staff · source
- Won a national title on Alabama’s 2015 staff (offensive coordinator, quarterbacks) · the staff · source
The champions’ staffs from 1990 on, as the schools listed them that season: Staff lists: Drew Hoover’s how-many-rings (MIT), from the schools’ media guides and staff pages. Roles as the source words them.
How he was hired
- Hired by Ole Miss for the 2020 season from Florida Atlantic, where he was head coach.
Power-conference head-coaching hires since 2010, with each coach’s previous job and ties to the school as collected by hand from Wikipedia: Hiring facts: M. Schuckers, cfb_coach_analytics.
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | Fresno State | Assistant coach | |
| 1999 | Colorado State | Graduate assistant | |
| 2000 | Jacksonville Jaguars NFL | Defensive quality control coach | |
| 2001 | USC | Tight ends coach | |
| 2002–03 | USC | Wide receivers coach | |
| 2004 | USC | Passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach | |
| 2005–06 | USC | Offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach | |
| 2007–08 | Oakland Raiders NFL | Head coach | |
| 2009 | Tennessee | Head coach | |
| 2010–13 | USC | Head coach | |
| 2014–16 | Alabama | Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| 2017–19 | Florida Atlantic | Head coach | |
| 2020–25 | Ole Miss | Head coach | |
| 2026–present | LSU | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Pat HillFresno State
- Sonny LubickColorado State
- Tom CoughlinJacksonville Jaguars
- Pete CarrollUSC
- Nick SabanAlabama
Assistants who became head coaches
- John DeFilippoNew Orleans Breakers, Memphis Showboats
- Lorenzo WardLouisville
- Tom CableIdaho, Oakland Raiders
- Paul HackettPittsburgh, USC
- Ed OrgeronOle Miss, USC, LSU
- Frank WilsonUTSA, LSU, McNeese
- Jim ChaneyTennessee
- Monte KiffinNC State
- Clay HeltonUSC, Georgia Southern
- Garin JusticeConcord
- Glenn SpencerWest Georgia
- D. J. DurkinMaryland
- and 6 more
Worked under (5)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pat Hill | Fresno State | 1997–98 | Assistant coach | |
| Sonny Lubick | Colorado State | 1999 | Graduate assistant | |
| Tom Coughlin | Jacksonville Jaguars NFL | 2000 | Defensive quality control coach | |
| Pete Carroll | USC | 2001–06 | 2001: tight ends coach; 2002–03: wide receivers coach; 2004: passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach; 2005–06: offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach | |
| Nick Saban | Alabama | 2014–16 | Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach |
Coached under him, later head coaches (18)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| John DeFilippo | Oakland Raiders, 2007–08: quarterbacks coach | New Orleans Breakers, Memphis Showboats | |
| Lorenzo Ward | Oakland Raiders, 2007: special teams coach and assistant defensive backs | Louisville | |
| Tom Cable | Oakland Raiders, 2007–08: offensive line coach | Idaho, Oakland Raiders | |
| Paul Hackett | Oakland Raiders, 2008: special projects | Pittsburgh, USC | |
| Ed Orgeron | Tennessee, 2009: assistant head coach, defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator; USC, 2010–13: defensive coordinator, defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator; LSU, 2026: special assistant to recruiting and defense | Ole Miss, USC, LSU | |
| Frank Wilson | Tennessee, 2009: wide receivers coach | UTSA, LSU, McNeese | |
| Jim Chaney | Tennessee, 2009: offensive coordinator and running backs coach | Tennessee | |
| Monte Kiffin | Tennessee, 2009: defensive coordinator; USC, 2010–12: assistant head coach; Florida Atlantic, 2017–19: defensive assistant; Ole Miss, 2020–23: player personnel analyst | NC State | |
| Clay Helton | USC, 2010–11: quarterbacks coach; 2012: passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach; 2013: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | USC, Georgia Southern | |
| Garin Justice | Florida Atlantic, 2017: offensive line coach | Concord | |
| Glenn Spencer | Florida Atlantic, 2019: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | West Georgia | |
| D. J. Durkin | Ole Miss, 2020–21: co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | Maryland | |
| D.J. Durkin | Ole Miss, 2020–21: co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | Florida, Maryland, Auburn | |
| Jeff Lebby | Ole Miss, 2020–21: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Mississippi State | |
| Lou Spanos | Ole Miss, 2023–25: defensive analyst; LSU, 2026: assistant defensive line and pass rush specialist | UConn | |
| Pete Golding | Ole Miss, 2023–25: defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach | Ole Miss | |
| Sterlin Gilbert | Ole Miss, 2023: offensive assistant | McNeese | |
| Zach Arnett | Ole Miss, 2024: analyst | Mississippi State |
Other assistants under him (37)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Don Martindale | Oakland Raiders, 2007–08: linebackers coach | |
| Kelly Skipper | Oakland Raiders, 2007–08: running backs coach | |
| Rob Ryan | Oakland Raiders, 2007–08: defensive coordinator | |
| Eddie Gran | Tennessee, 2009: special teams and running backs coach | |
| Chris Kiffin | USC, 2010: defensive administrative assistant; Florida Atlantic, 2017: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach; Ole Miss, 2024–25: defensive analyst; LSU, 2026: co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| John Morton | USC, 2010: offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach | |
| Kennedy Polamalu | USC, 2010, 2012: offensive coordinator and running backs coach | |
| Kennedy Polamalu | USC, 2011: offensive coordinator | |
| Marvin Sanders | USC, 2012: defensive backs coach | |
| Scottie Hazelton | USC, 2012: linebackers coach | |
| Tee Martin | USC, 2012–13: wide receivers coach; LSU, 2026: offensive analyst | |
| Clancy Pendergast | USC, 2013: defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach | |
| Jaron Fairman | USC, 2013: graduate assistant; Florida Atlantic, 2018–19: special teams coordinator | |
| Mike Ekeler | USC, 2013: linebackers coach | |
| Pete Jenkins | USC, 2013: defensive line coach | |
| Clint Trickett | Florida Atlantic, 2017–19: tight ends coach | |
| Corey Batoon | Florida Atlantic, 2017: safeties and special teams coach and co-defensive coordinator | |
| Kendal Briles | Florida Atlantic, 2017: assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| Mark Cala | Florida Atlantic, 2017: analyst | |
| Charlie Weis Jr. | Florida Atlantic, 2018–19: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach; Ole Miss, 2022–25: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach; LSU, 2026: offensive coordinator | |
| Ernie Sims | Florida Atlantic, 2018: assistant strength and conditioning coordinator; 2019: director of football operations | |
| Tony Pecoraro | Florida Atlantic, 2018: defensive coordinator | |
| Blake Gideon | Ole Miss, 2020: special teams coach | |
| Chris Partridge | Ole Miss, 2020–22: co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach | |
| Derrick Nix | Ole Miss, 2020–22: wide receivers coach; 2023: assistant head coach and wide receivers coach | |
| Joe Jon Finley | Ole Miss, 2020: passing game coordinator and tight ends coach | |
| Coleman Hutzler | Ole Miss, 2021: special teams coordinator | |
| John David Baker | Ole Miss, 2021: tight ends coach and passing game coordinator; 2022–23: co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach | |
| Marquel Blackwell | Ole Miss, 2022: running backs coach | |
| Maurice Crum Jr. | Ole Miss, 2022: co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| Seth Doege | Ole Miss, 2022: analyst | |
| Bryan Brown | Ole Miss, 2024–25: co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach | |
| George McDonald | Ole Miss, 2024–25: wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator; LSU, 2026: wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator | |
| Joe Cox | Ole Miss, 2024–25: co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach; LSU, 2026: co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach | |
| Blake Baker | LSU, 2026: defensive coordinator | |
| Chuck Bullough | LSU, 2026: senior defensive analyst | |
| Kevin Sherrer | LSU, 2026 |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
Pay
| Year | School | Job | Contract pay | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Florida Atlantic | head coachbonuses up to $350,000; buyout $2,850,000 | $950,000 USA Today | |
| 2016 | Alabama | offensive coordinatorbonuses up to $306,000 | $1,400,000 USA Today | |
| 2015 | Alabama | offensive coordinatorbonuses up to $149,600 | $680,000 USA Today | |
| 2014 | Alabama | offensive coordinatorbonuses up to $149,600 | $680,000 USA Today | |
| 2009 | Tennessee | head coachbonuses up to $540,000 | $2,000,000 USA Today via Leeds |
USA Today’s coaches salary database (2014–17, from public-records requests to the schools; Rachel Ehlers’ copy): the season’s contract pay, school pay plus outside money, before bonuses.
The same USA Today database for 2006–16, from Michael Leeds’ replication data on Harvard Dataverse (CC0): the season’s contract pay.
Pay of public employees in their public job only: head coaches, and assistants in the seasons our records name them a coordinator, at public universities.
How he coached
Kiffin’s teams went for it on 33% of fourth downs and on 56% of those where the model said go for it, passed on 47% of plays and took 23.2 seconds a play, 2009–2026.
| Season | School | Went for it on fourth | When the model said go | Pass rate | Seconds a play | EPA a play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 13 g | Tennessee | 26 of 97 27% | 61% | 48% | 25.4 | 0.00 | |
| 2010 13 g | USC | 31 of 89 35% | 58% | 50% | 26.1 | +0.05 | |
| 2011 12 g | USC | 15 of 68 22% | 44% | 54% | 26.5 | +0.08 | |
| 2012 13 g | USC | 27 of 87 31% | 44% | 56% | 26.5 | −0.03 | |
| 2017 14 g | Florida Atlantic | 39 of 104 38% | 55% | 36% | 21.8 | +0.16 | |
| 2018 11 g | Florida Atlantic | 38 of 95 40% | 58% | 41% | 22.4 | +0.07 | |
| 2019 14 g | Florida Atlantic | 22 of 117 19% | 41% | 50% | 22.5 | +0.07 | |
| 2020 9 g | Ole Miss | 32 of 65 49% | 65% | 44% | 20.5 | +0.23 | |
| 2021 13 g | Ole Miss | 49 of 110 45% | 73% | 45% | 20.5 | +0.12 | |
| 2022 13 g | Ole Miss | 35 of 92 38% | 74% | 40% | 20.1 | +0.10 | |
| 2023 12 g | Ole Miss | 32 of 100 32% | 55% | 46% | 22.7 | +0.15 | |
| 2024 13 g | Ole Miss | 29 of 91 32% | 53% | 50% | 23.0 | +0.18 | |
| 2025 15 g | Ole Miss | 31 of 106 29% | 53% | 50% | 22.7 | +0.17 | |
| 2026 7 g | LSU | 12 of 44 27% | 44% | 48% | 24.4 | +0.15 | |
| All 172 g | 418 of 1265 33% | 56% | 47% | 23.2 | +0.10 |
His seasons as a head coach from 2004 on, from ESPN’s play by play: fourth downs where he went for it out of every fourth-down decision; how often he went when SportsDataverse’s fourth-down model said going for it was the better call; the share of his offense’s plays that were passes; seconds of game clock per offensive play (lower is faster); and expected points added per offensive play (EPA, a measure of how much each play moved the offense toward points). The season in progress counts its games so far. SportsDataverse’s coach tendencies, from ESPN’s play by play; the EPA and the fourth-down model are SportsDataverse’s.