The Tigers gave Kiffin a $93 million contract and one of the most expensive rosters in college football, and six games into his first campaign on the bayou, the Lane Train is 4-2 and staring down the barrel of missing the College Football Playoff if his team comes away with another loss during a brutal back half of the schedule.This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners.If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated.
This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom.Even in today's day and age of instant roster upgrades, though, I tend to give most coaches a pass in their first year at a new school (within reason).WHAT DOES A REALISTICALLY SUCCESSFUL FIRST YEAR LOOK LIKE FOR HEAD COACH LANE KIFFIN AT LSU?Lane Kiffin of the LSU Tigers with Landry Kiffin before a game against the Clemson Tigers at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., on Sept.5, 2026.
(University Images via Getty Images)Weird highs and lows can occur and players still need time to adapt to the culture and expectations set by the new staff, so going solely off of results on the field can leave fans ready to hit the eject button before enough data has been compiled.For that reason, I like to pay attention to what's happening off the field as much as on it, and there is a key thread throughout Kiffin's recruiting strategy that could be a tell for whether or not he will succeed in Baton Rouge.If we take a look at LSU's 2027 recruiting class as it stands right now, nothing looks too alarming.The Tigers sit at 11th in the 247Sports composite rankings, which is really good albeit not elite, but with only 16 commits, it still has plenty of room to grow.The ranking isn't necessarily the problem.The sticking point here is entirely geographical.Just to offer up a bit of a background note on Louisiana high school football before we continue, it has long been said that The Boot is one of the most talent rich states per capita in the entire c...