LSU football head coach Lane Kiffin sent a kind message to Ole Miss staff members after beating Tulane. But he plucked from the Rebels staff on Sunday.
Kiffin siphoned a big member from the Rebels coaching crew, per Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports.
“LSU has finalized to deal to hire Ole Miss’ Kevin Smith as running backs coach that’s expected to pay him close to $1 million per year and will make him one of the nation’s highest-paid RB coaches, per sources,” Zenitz posted on the social media website X, formerly Twitter.
Smith molded Kewan Lacy and Quinshon Judkins at Ole Miss — the latter before leaving Oxford for Ohio State.
Is LSU keeping talent as Lane Kiffin transitions out of Ole Miss?
Adding Smith is huge for Kiffin’s first Tigers staff. His hire will attract more running back recruits who desire an NFL career or starring the Southeastern Conference.
But is Kiffin managing to keep talent from leaving Baton Rouge? Two notable departures surfaced.
He won’t have top cornerback Mansoor Delane, who opted for the NFL Draft Thursday. He ends his Tigers campaign earning Unanimous All-American honors.
But Kiffin is dealing with an impactful loss in his area of expertise offense. Freshman quarterback Tre Peoples entered the transfer portal Friday — making him the first QB exit since Kiffin’s hire.
Meanwhile, Ole Miss is adding its own LSU representation in Oxford. Former LSU associate athletic director Austin Thomas is joining the Rebels. Even LSU interim head coach Frank Wilson is joining Ole Miss.
