Lane Kiffin's move from Ole Miss to LSU set the college football world on fire back in late November. Kiffin left Oxford after leading the Rebels to their best regular season in program history. Now, Ole Miss is one win away from appearing in the National Championship Game without him. However, Kiffin is still undoubtedly still rooting for his former team.
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Despite not coaching a single down so far this postseason, Kiffin has guaranteed himself at least $500,000 in performance bonuses from Ole Miss' CFP run. He made $250,000 from the Rebels' win over Tulane in the first round, and then another $250,000 for Ole Miss' thrilling win over Georgia in the quarterfinals. He is in line to receive another $250,000 if Ole Miss beats Miami to advance to the National Championship Game, which would bring his bonus total to $750,000.
Lane Kiffin will now make at least $500k in performance-based bonuses for Ole Miss’ win over Georgia.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) January 2, 2026
LSU will foot the bill. pic.twitter.com/ndoHi4YjsJ
Lane Kiffin can earn up to $1 million if Ole Miss wins the National Championship
Kiffin's bank account continues to grow during Ole Miss' impressive CFP run, and it has the potential to get even bigger. According to Front Office Sports, Kiffin's 2025 performance bonus can reach up to $1 million if Ole Miss goes on to win the National Championship.
While Ole Miss fans are certainly thrilled to see their team's current postseason run, seeing Kiffin get rewarded financially for each win has to sting a bit. Kiffin's break up with Ole Miss was a messy one, and Rebel fans quickly turned on their now former head coach.
Perhaps Ole Miss fans can take solace in the fact that their school isn't footing the bill for Kiffin's postseason performance bonuses - LSU is. As a part of his new contract with the Tigers, LSU has agreed to pay all of Kiffin's postseason performance bonuses. This comes on top of the $13 million annual salary and multi-million dollar buyout with no offset or duty to mitigate clause.
Kick-off between Ole Miss and Miami is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on January 8 from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ. The Hurricanes are favored by 3 points. As he continues building LSU's 2026 roster, Kiffin will undoubtedly be keeping tabs on the Fiesta Bowl to see if he has another $250k bonus coming his way.