LSU’s Lane Kiffin back up plan could steal away one of Auburn’s potential head coach candidates
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There is no questioning who the top head coaching target is for the LSU Tigers right now. After some early clamoring for Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, that conversation quickly died. All eyes are now on current Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, and LSU is firmly in the sweepstakes for the outspoken Kiffin. He is the top target, and anyone who disagrees with that isn’t being honest with themselves.
Over the last few days, the Kiffin family has made the trip down to Baton Rouge, as well as to Gainesville to meet with the Florida Gators. The courting of Kiffin has been a hot topic for college football, and there should be some sort of clarity in the near future, ideally anyway. Depending on the timing of a decision, there appears to be another top contender emerging for the Tigers, and he could create a big ripple effect on this head coaching hiring cycle.
As time has gone on, Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham is a name that has been circulating more and more often recently. Dillingham even became the betting favorite for multiple different sportsbooks recently, seemingly out of thin air. While Dillingham has been very firm about his intentions to remain with his alma mater, anything can change when great opportunities do come open.
The Kenny Dillingham ripple effect
A team that has been rumored slightly with Dillingham is the Auburn opening, along with current Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall. Dillingham spent one year with the Auburn Tigers back in 2019 as the team’s offensive coordinator and quarterback coach, so there is obvious familiarity with the Tigers. If Dillingham does hypothetically end up with LSU as a serious contender, it will be interesting to see how Auburn navigates the next steps in its hiring process.
As the candidate board begins to lighten, schools typically get a bit more aggressive and/or desperate. Dillingham could be a very important cog toward determining where all these candidates end up. He is also a very good young head coach, and would be an interesting fit if he ended up in Baton Rouge.
After taking over the Arizona State program prior to the 2023 college football season, Dillingham has quickly rebuilt a once-proud program tradition straight from the gutter. Following a 3-9 record during his first year in Tempe, the team has managed to go 18-6 so far during the last two seasons, and there are still several games to go. That includes an outstanding year in 2024 where Dillingham led the team to 11 total wins, a Big 12 championship, and a College Football Playoff berth. It was a magical season for one of the very best young coaches in the country.
Before Dillingham took over at Arizona State, he had spent some time as the offensive coordinator at programs such as Memphis, the Tigers program, Florida State, and Oregon. Still only 35 years old, Dillingham is a tremendous young head coach. Getting him away from his alma mater won’t be easy, but LSU is obviously a very appealing job in many different ways.
This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Nov 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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