Lane Kiffin taking LSU down dangerous road for three backup players | Opinion
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It’s time to talk turkey, people. Facts over feelings, reality over fantasy.
This all could’ve been avoided if LSU coach Lane Kiffin simply said no.
Yet here we are, with LSU winning a lawsuit against the SEC in the state of Louisiana, and the SEC countersuing LSU in federal court — with a decades old partnership seemingly dissolving before our eyes.
And for what? Three backup players on a roster that already is pushing $50 million?
I blame Kiffin for all of this. The idea, and the decision to not back down.
He’s a change agent, always has been. But at what cost — and at what end?
Now he’s circling the drain again, and LSU is going down with him. We could've seen this coming from a country mile.
Kiffin was fired from the NFL’s Oakland Raiders, where his former boss called him a liar.
He left Tennessee after one season (and multiple NCAA secondary violations), and was burned in effigy.
He was famously fired on the tarmac at Southern California after any number of missteps, and after one of the nicest men in sports (Pat Haden) finally had enough.
He was fired by Alabama coach Nick Saban the week before the national championship game, after spending more time with his new team (Florida Atlantic) than his current team playing for it all.
He brought Mississippi to unprecedented heights, then left it at the alter when the program finally reached the holy land.
What in the wide world of sports did LSU think was going to happen when it hired Kiffin? That he was a changed man?
That LSU’s money and power would change him, and he’d realize he didn’t need the sideshow anymore? Kiffin had one of the top three jobs in all of college football, and could’t get out of his own way at USC.
This is who he is, no matter what side street he takes you down for however many months. He’s changed, he’s matured, he’s different.
Only he's not.
He’s the same person, and if that’s the change you want, more power to LSU. Or anyone else who hires a coach who clearly knows Xs and Os and how to dial up ball plays as good as anyone.
Just be ready to deal with the aftermath off the field.
LSU is all alone in its crusade to add former college players who signed NFL contracts, some who participated in NFL training camps and were eventually cut by NFL teams. All alone and burning the SEC bridge in the process.
No other Bowl Subdivision and Championship Subdivision school said it will sign a former college player who fit that criteria. Not one.
The idea that there are other schools waiting for LSU to take the hit, and then follow along if the SEC loses in court is absolute nonsense.
This is a one-year deal. The NCAA’s new five years to play five seasons eligibility rule only affected the 2022 freshmen class that could've been grandfathered in, but wasn't.
No matter how you feel about that argument — and frankly, it was a monumental mistake by the NCAA to not grandfather the 2022 class — it isn’t the central point in this case.
The power conferences and Notre Dame have all acknowledged they can’t circumvent numerous temporary restraining orders allowing 2022 class players eligibility in the 2026 season.
But — and here’s the key — they’re just not playing for any of the 68 schools. Except LSU, that is.
Now how stupid does the LSU stance look? The school is fighting the SEC ― and risking significant penalty ― for three backups who will play one year, in a unique eligibility position that will never again affect the sport.
Absolutelty mind-boggling.
First LSU chose Kiffin. Then LSU chose three backup players over a strong and prosperous relationship with the SEC.
It's getting harder every day to choose the worse move.
But there's no doubt who's behind it all.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB. Listen to him daily, from 12-2 p.m., on 1010XL-Jacksonville.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lane Kiffin taking LSU down dangerous road for three backup players | Opinion
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