Lane Kiffin Praises Brian Kelly's Coaching Staff Adjustments, Elevating LSU Tigers

Kiffin dove into the challenges of bringing in a new coaching staff, detailed Kelly's defensive changes.

Oct 5, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin directs his team against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images / Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

No. 13 LSU and No. 9 Ole Miss will square off in Tiger Stadium on Saturday night with two of the savviest coaches in college football preparing to battle it out.

LSU's Brian Kelly has routinely praised Ole Miss shot-caller Lane Kiffin and how he's "good for college football" with Kiffin now returning the compliment.

After LSU's dramatic loss in Oxford a year ago in the shootout of the year, all eyes pointed to Kelly's defense and the adjustments needed to be made during the offseason.

Following the 2023 season, Kelly fired his entire on-field defensive staff.

Now, Kiffin has given Kelly credit for making the moves to his staff in order to elevate LSU after being asked if the Tigers have a "chip on their shoulder" heading into Saturday night.

“I don’t know that, they got new staff and and  does a great job. I think he’s all time active, winningest college coach,” Kiffin said. “You got to make hard changes to be a successful head coach and I’m sure that was challenging for him, and you gotta do what some best interest are the team.”

Kelly and Co. lost a trio of first-rounders in Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. to the 2024 NFL Draft, but added a myriad of new coaches.

Kiffin discussed how every year is a new year and how last season's 55-49 shootout in Oxford has no relevance to this Saturday's showdown.

“Every year is independent, every team’s independent of every other game. So I don’t know that there’s much relative to last year,” Kiffin said. “Because I think as you see in college football, you can’t even say what’s relative a week ago. How somebody plays and how they play against this team, and then the next week that’s gonna matter, and then it doesn’t matter at all.”

“So I think every week’s always independent every season’s independent, and I don’t know why it feels even more than ever that you better get your team motivated and right each week or you’re going to lose.”

No. 13 LSU will take on No. 9 Ole Miss on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium with kickoff slated for 6:30 p.m. CT on the ABC Network.

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