LSU-Clemson kickoff is being delayed by heavy rain, lightning in Baton Rouge area

There will be an unexpectedly longer wait for the most highly anticipated Week 1 game of the 2026 college football season.

LSU head coach Lane Kiffin was expected to make his debut against Clemson in a Saturday game scheduled for a 7:49 p.m. ET kickoff.

Kiffin had already made his much-ballyhooed entrance to the stadium around 6 p.m. ET. But massive thunderstorms have descended upon Baton Rouge, Louisiana, resulting in a heavy downpour and lightning within an 8-mile radius of Tiger Stadium.

Severalmediaoutlets are reporting that the start has been delayed indefinitely with more storms in the forecast over the next two hours. According to the Greenville News, the public address announcer at Tiger Stadium told the crowd the kickoff would move "later than expected."

Jay Busbee of Yahoo! Sports posted on X that LSU staff is “reporting at least a 90-minute delay in kickoff.”

Per NCAA weather guidelines, teams are generally instructed to wait until 30 minutes after the last lightning strike is recorded within a designated area (usually 8 to 10 miles) before play can begin or resume.