LSU Tigers coach Lane Kiffin’s session at the SEC Media Days in Tampa this week was one of the most highly anticipated. Kiffin has been one of the most divisive characters in college football since he opted to leave the Ole Miss Rebels midseason to take the Tigers’ job last year.
Lane Kiffin Calls for College Football Rookie Salary Cap
While speaking to reporters during his session at the SEC media days in Tampa on Thursday, the polarizing Kiffin called for a freshman salary cap for high school prospects entering college football.
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“Our system is a little bit screwed up in my opinion,” Kiffin said. “The kids that haven’t played at all coming out of high school should be making less… There should be a freshman or rookie cap (for how much they can make), and then (have) max slots per position that they make. Then they’re signed to multi-year contracts, so now you do really get into building through high school because that guy could stay longer.”
According to On3’s Pete Nakos, last month was one of the most expensive in the history of the NIL era, and an SEC general manager revealed that four-star prospects were commanding a base price of $350,000 during the recruiting cycle.
“We’ve reached the period where everyone has an agent. There are no layups anymore in high school recruiting. Nothing is even reasonably priced,” the SEC general manager said.
MORE: ‘Ole Miss Is Way Too High,’ ‘LSU Should Be Higher’ — CFB World Divided Over 2026 SEC Preseason Media Poll Rankings
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Highly rated five-star running back David Gabriel Georges will reportedly make $2 million after committing to the Tennessee Volunteers this week, which is the highest figure commanded by a freshman running back in the NIL era. The previous record was held by Savion Hiter, who was paid $750,000 by the Michigan Wolverines last year.
Despite his calls for a freshman salary cap, Kiffin took part in one of the most aggressive roster flips in college football history, bringing in 41 players via the transfer portal and releasing 34. Kiffin’s Tigers reportedly spent more than $40 million to recruit the No. 5-ranked transfer portal class in the country in January.
The Tigers spent $4.5 million on veteran quarterback Sam Leavitt, $4 million on offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, and $1.5 million on defensive end Princewill Umanmielen to poach the best prospects in their respective positions from the transfer portal.
The Texas A&M Aggies, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and the Miami Hurricanes occupy the top three positions in On3’s 2027 college football recruitment rankings. On the other hand, Kiffin’s Tigers, with 16 total commitments, are ranked No. 10 on the list.
