Is there a new front runner for the LSU football coaching job?

There might be a new front-runner for the LSU football head coaching job.

And his name is Lane Kiffin.

On Saturday afternoon, it felt like Kiffin was auditioning to replace Ed Orgeron.

Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels knocked off LSU 31-17, avenging their loss to the Tigers in 2020.

One of LSU’s other potential targets — James Franklin at Penn State — fell behind a bit on the candidate list on Saturday, losing to Illinois 20-18 in nine overtimes(!).

Would Lane Kiffin be a good hire for LSU football?

I don’t know how high Kiffin will be on LSU athletic director Scott Woodward’s list, but he should be close to the top.

Kiffin is full of energy, he’s a great recruiter, and he’s one of the best offensive play-callers in the nation.

And he has Ole Miss on the brink of the AP Top 10 (they might be in the top 10 if you’re reading this on Sunday afternoon).

I think Kiffin knows he can’t win a national championship at Ole Miss. It’s just too hard to get talent to Oxford while going up against Alabama and Auburn.

But at LSU, Kiffin could walk into a situation where he lands a top-five recruiting class on an annual basis.

I don’t think there’s any doubt that Kiffin would leave Ole Miss for the Tigers.

LSU is a destination job — it’s a place where Kiffin could actually stay for more than a couple of years.

Another reason, by the way, that Kiffin could be an attractive option for the Tigers is because it would likely put LSU right back in the mix for 2023 five-star quarterback Arch Manning.

Now, obviously you can’t hire a coach just to land one recruit. That’s not the point.

Kiffin would be a threat to land every top quarterback recruit in the country if he was at LSU.

I think Kiffin could legitimately build a juggernaut in Baton Rouge.