Lane Kiffin's departure from Ole Miss to become the next head coach of the LSU Football program was one of the biggest college football coaching carousel moves in the last several years. Kiffin left Ole Miss after leading the Rebels to the best regular season in program history and its first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff.
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Kiffin was happy to see his former team find the win column on Saturday night as the Ole Miss Rebels defeated the Tulane Green Wave by a score of 41-10 in the First Round of the CFP. Although he wasn't on the sidelines, Kiffin earned himself a solid payday.
According to ESPN, Kiffin received a $250,000 bonus for Ole Miss picking up a CFP win and advancing to the quarterfinals.
Despite not coaching the Rebels in the CFP, Lane Kiffin still benefits from their win against Tulane according to a term sheet obtained by ESPN.
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Lane Kiffin could earn $1 million if Ole Miss win the National Championship
Kiffin got a nice payout for Ole Miss' First Round win, and he will likely be rooting for his former team to keep winning and compete for a national title. According to Front Office Sports, Kiffin's bonus earnings have the potential to reach $1 million if Ole Miss goes on to win the National Championship.
If the Rebels beat Georgia in the quarterfinals on New Year's Day, Kiffin's postseason bonus will increase to $500,000. That number will then increase to $750,000 if Ole Miss advances to the National Championship Game, and all the way up to $1 million if Ole Miss wins its first-ever CFP title.
But Ole Miss isn't on the hook for Kiffin's bonus payouts. As a part of his new contract with the Tigers, LSU has agreed to foot the bill for Kiffin's postseason bonus structure. This comes on top of the $13 million annual salary and multi-million buyout with no offset or duty to mitigate clause in his new deal.
While Ole Miss' CFP win certainly has Rebel fans fired up, the bonus payments to Kiffin only rub salt in the wound that he is now gone. Kiffin's breakup with Ole Miss was a messy one, and Rebel fans aren't too thrilled that he will continue to financially benefit from their team's playoff success should they keep their run alive against Georgia.
Kick-off between the Rebels and Bulldogs is set for 8:00 p.m. ET on January 1, and Kiffin will undoubtedly be tuned in to the action to see if he has another bonus increase coming his way.