Lane Kiffin targets fired Power Four coach for LSU staff

Mailbag: Would beating Alabama be biggest win of Lane Kiffin's career?

A subscriber asks: If LSU beats Alabama on Saturday, would that be the biggest win of Lane Kiffin's head-coaching career?

It is a fair question.

Kiffin has been a head coach for 16 seasons across three programs — Tennessee, USC, FAU and now LSU.

He has beaten Alabama before.

In 2021, his Ole Miss team upset the Crimson Tide 31-24 in Oxford.

That win was huge.

It ended a long losing streak for the Rebels against Alabama.

It vaulted Ole Miss into the top 10.

But this is different.

LSU enters Saturday's game at 7-1, ranked No. 8 in the first College Football Playoff rankings.

Alabama is No. 5.

The winner stays firmly in the playoff hunt.

The loser likely falls out.

Kiffin is in his second season at LSU.

He took over a program that went 10-3 in 2023 under Brian Kelly but missed the playoff.

In 2024, Kiffin's first year, the Tigers went 9-4 and won the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Now they are in position to make a run.

A win over Alabama at Tiger Stadium would be Kiffin's first against a top-five team since that 2021 Ole Miss win.

It would also be his first signature victory at LSU.

But the question is about more than just one game.

It is about what Kiffin has built in Baton Rouge.

He has recruited at an elite level.

He has brought in a top-10 class for 2026.

He has won the transfer portal.

His offense is explosive.

Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is playing at an All-SEC level.

The defense, under coordinator Blake Baker, has improved.

But a win over Alabama would validate everything.

It would show that LSU is back as a national contender.

It would give Kiffin a marquee win that his critics have said he lacks.

And it would come against Nick Saban's successor, Kalen DeBoer, who has Alabama at 7-1 in his first season.

Beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa in 2021 was a statement.

Beating Alabama in Baton Rouge in 2026, with a playoff spot on the line, would be bigger.

Here is why.

In 2021, Ole Miss was a good team.

But they were not a playoff team.

They finished 10-3 and went to the Sugar Bowl.

This LSU team has a real path to the playoff.

The SEC champion gets an automatic bid.

Even if LSU does not win the SEC, they could get an at-large spot.

A win over Alabama would be the centerpiece of their resume.

It would also be a statement to recruits.

LSU already has a huge recruiting weekend planned.

Several top prospects are expected to visit.

A win over Alabama would electrify the campus and the fan base.

It would show that the program is on the rise.

Kiffin has never won a national championship as a head coach.

He came close at USC in 2008, but that team lost to Oregon State and finished 12-1.

He has never made the College Football Playoff.

This could be his best chance.

But there is another layer to this story.

Kiffin is reportedly trying to add former Baylor head coach Dave Aranda to his staff as an analyst.

Aranda was LSU's defensive coordinator from 2016 to 2019.

He was the mastermind behind the defense that helped LSU go 15-0 and win the national championship in 2019.

He left to become Baylor's head coach in 2020.

Baylor fired Aranda on October 24 after a 25-24 loss to Kansas.

He finished with a 40-40 record at Baylor, including a 12-2 season in 2021 that ended with a Big 12 championship and a No. 5 ranking.

But the program declined after that.

Now Aranda is available.

According to CBS Sports, Aranda has already been in Baton Rouge for several days.

He watched practice. He met with staff.

No deal has been finalized, but the interest is real.

If Aranda joins LSU, he would reunite with Ed Orgeron.

Orgeron is currently on Kiffin's staff as a defensive analyst.

He was LSU's head coach from 2016 to 2021 and won the national title in 2019 alongside Aranda.

The two of them together again would give LSU a wealth of defensive experience.

But the question remains: Would beating Alabama be the biggest win of Kiffin's career?

Let us look at the other candidates.

In 2007, Kiffin was the head coach at Tennessee.

His team beat No. 12 Georgia 35-14.

That was a big win, but Tennessee finished 10-4 and lost to LSU in the SEC Championship Game.

In 2008, USC beat No. 5 Ohio State 35-3 in the Coliseum.

That was a dominant performance, but USC was the No. 1 team at the time.

In 2019, FAU beat UAB 49-6 to win Conference USA.

That was a conference title, but not a national statement.