Raleek Brown’s motion caused confusion for LSU’s secondary. Davohn Keys reacted late, and Arch Manning found an easy touchdown connection. Texas edged LSU 22-21 on Saturday, ending the Tigers’ College Football Playoff hopes and casting doubt over Lane Kiffin’s first year as head coach.
Kiffin shrugged off the final defensive lapse with a simple, “(Davohn) has him, so you know …” The comment came after a game that exposed LSU’s uneven performance despite a roster that ranks among the most expensive in college football.
LSU opened the 2026 season with swagger and bold promises. Kiffin, arriving in Baton Rouge with a reputation for brash confidence, declared an immediate championship vision. He trolled opponents, practiced hot yoga in SEC cities, and openly challenged league policies on players with professional contracts seeking a fifth collegiate season.
In Week 1, Kiffin boasted during a halftime interview of the team’s potential if they had pro-level players. Nine games later, LSU’s record and performance have fallen short of that promise. The Tigers stand at 6-4, with a 3-4 mark against Power Four opponents. Their losses came against Ole Miss, Kentucky, Alabama, and Texas, the only ranked teams they have faced.
For many coaches, a 6-4 record with only eight returning starters might be a reasonable foundation. Not for Kiffin, whose roster and salary outpace many rivals. LSU more than doubled its roster investment from around $18-20 million in 2025 to over $40 million this year, according to sources. The program also paid Kiffin handsomely, expecting immediate returns.
After Saturday’s 11-point, second-half collapse against Texas, Kiffin took ownership of the underperformance. “I get it,” he said. “Underperformance. It doesn't matter if the games have been close or if they go down to the last six seconds. I was brought here to win, and we need to win more than that.”
He also pointed to factors behind LSU’s struggles. Missed tackles in crunch moments cost the Tigers against Kentucky and Texas. Special teams errors, such as a missed 38-yard field goal just before halftime on Saturday, have plagued LSU all season. Turnovers resulting from quarterback Leavitt’s aggressive style further complicated the team’s efforts.
Kiffin compared LSU’s roster situation to that of Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, now in his sixth year. Sarkisian inherited a less developed program in 2021 when Texas finished 5-7. Building a deep roster with quality backups and special teams players took time for Sarkisian, Kiffin said, pointing to Texas’ current depth and size as a contrast.
“You build things, and they take a little bit of time,” Kiffin said. “Watch warmups. Those guys have done a great job building a team with size, with backups, with special teams players. It didn't look like that his first year.”
The comparison underlines a key challenge for Kiffin. Sarkisian started with a program that had a 7-3 record the previous year under Tom Herman, but without the transfer portal and name, image, and likeness (NIL) dynamics now in play. Roster building was slower.
Kiffin’s LSU, by contrast, arrived with unprecedented financial resources and roster investment. The expectation was immediate impact. That difference means patience is in shorter supply.
Despite the frustration, Kiffin’s record against AP Top 25 teams remains below .500 at 15-28, but his history suggests LSU can improve. Still, the head coach remains a target for criticism from fans and media.
The attention stems in part from Kiffin’s own approach. His outspoken style, trolling of rival programs, and public disputes over NCAA rules have kept him in the spotlight. He has openly challenged Ole Miss players and taken shots at his former employers in Oxford.
After Saturday’s loss, Kiffin again acknowledged the team’s mistakes but quickly pointed to what might have been, saying, “If we covered a guy on that last play or if that fumble comes out a second earlier or whatever, we're in here and none of these questions are happening, and you're like, ‘What a great job! What an awesome way to finish.’”
CBS Sports colleague John Talty summed it up simply: Lane Kiffin just can’t help being Lane.
According to CBS.
