No. 6 Ole Miss making the most of his first trip to the College Football Playoff. After a dominant first-round win over Tulane, the Rebels stunned Georgia 39–34 on a late field goal by quarterback Trinidad Chambliss to advance to the CFP semifinals against Miami.
Pete Golding, who took over after Lane Kiffin left for LSU, is now 2-0 as Rebels coach, with both of those wins coming in the CFP. However, Kiffin still has a strong interest in his former team.
Even though Kiffin is no longer with the program, he still benefits financially from the Rebels' playoff victory. That's because, as part of the agreement that Kiffin left Ole Miss before the CFP started, LSU agreed to pay him playoff bonuses if the Rebels continued to advance.
This means Kiffin earned $250,000 from LSU on New Year's Day thanks to the Rebels' win over Georgia. That's in addition to the $250,000 he earned after defeating Tulane in the first round, earning him a cool $500,000 salary. If Ole Miss wins the national title, Kiffin could earn up to $1 million.
Lane Kiffin's return to Ole Miss with LSU is scheduled for September 2026 as the SEC releases its full football schedule.
David Cobb
According to data received Advocate. Before benefits, Kiffin will make $13 million per year. One of the escalators in Kiffin's contract calls for a raise to make him the highest-paid coach in the country if he wins a national championship, the lawyer said.
