Lane Kiffin's LSU debut: What his past first years tell us
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LSU football has high hopes for new head coach Lane Kiffin. After a loaded transfer portal haul, the Tigers have the talent to contend for the College Football Playoff in Kiffin's first year on the job.
At QB, LSU signed Sam Leavitt while addressing the offensive line with the addition of left tackle Jordan Seaton. Leavitt will get to throw to a retooled wide receiver room, which includes former Kansas State pass catcher Jayce Brown.
On defense, LSU upgraded the pass rush with the addition of ex-Ole Miss defensive end Princewill Umanmielen and ex-Tennessee edge defender Jordan Ross.
In this era of college football, year one carries a different meaning. The transfer portal allows coaches to make immediate impacts rather than taking on multi-year rebuilds.
Now, we'll take a look at how Kiffin fared in previous first years. This is Kiffin's fourth head coaching job in the college ranks, so we have a decent sample size. And though the sport is much different than when Kiffin began the other jobs, it's still worth a look.
USC, 2010: 8-5
In 2010, Kiffin took over a USC team hampered by sanctions. It wasn't an easy job. Still, the Trojans went 8-5 and were ranked as high as No. 14 in the AP Poll.
FAU, 2017: 11-3
In 2017, Kiffin took over an FAU team that went 3-9 the year before and delivered immediate results. Under Kiffin, FAU found unprecedented success and went 11-3 in 2017. Kiffin and the Owls posted an 8-0 conference record.
Ole Miss, 2020: 5-5
Kiffin's first year at Ole Miss was unique. The Rebels had just moved on from Matt Luke, who was pretty much a bridge coach to guide Ole Miss through NCAA sanctions and then COVID hit, which threw a wrench into the 2020 season. Kiffin and Ole Miss went 5-5.
The 5-5 record was admirable given Ole Miss's recent struggles at the time. Ole Miss went 4-5 in SEC play after going 2-6 in 2019.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Lane Kiffin's LSU debut: What his past first years tell us
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