LSU alum Ryan Clark calls for Lane Kiffin to let assistants continue coaching Ole Miss

Ole Miss’ victory over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl has thrown a wrench into Lane Kiffin allowing his LSU assistants to continue coaching the Rebels in the College Football Playoff.

But amid speculation regarding how the new Tigers head coach will handle the situation, one of LSU’s most prominent alums is calling on the program’s new head coach to do the right thing.

Appearing on First Take on Friday, Ryan Clark discussed the conundrum Kiffin now faces with his former program still alive in the playoff as the transfer portal opens. But while it may put his alma mater at a disadvantage on the recruiting trail, the former Tigers safety believes there’s no question as to what LSU’s head coach should do.

“You know what leads to long-term success? Present success. Short-term success,” Clark said. “… Lane Kiffin said that he and [Ole Miss head coach] Pete Golding have been in constant conversation about what the transition is going to be. I would hope, as Lane Kiffin is my new coach, I would hope that in this moment, he shows the integrity of letting those men finish the job that they’re supposed to finish. That at this moment he looks at those boys on the Ole Miss team and that Ole Miss roster and thinks about what they gave him.

“Without them playing the way that they played this year, without them buying in the way they bought into what Lane Kiffin was preaching this year, he doesn’t get the LSU job. A coach that has faltered, a coach that has failed, a coach that has had missteps, that has had to build himself back up to be the head coach at what I believe is the best university in the world, it’s time for him to show integrity. It’s time for him to let him finish the job that they started.”

LSU alum Ryan Clark calls for Lane Kiffin to allow his assistants to continue coaching Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff: “As Lane Kiffin is my new coach, I would hope that in this moment, he shows the integrity of letting those men finish the job that they’re supposed to… pic.twitter.com/pLqWasH8Vr

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 2, 2026

While the timing is less than ideal for the Tigers, it would be tough to argue against Clark’s point. Ultimately, why would Kiffin have even allowed the assistant coaches he’s taking to Baton Rouge to continue coaching Ole Miss if he wasn’t going to let them finish the job if they advanced?

Although LSU could very well gain an advantage in the transfer portal if assistant coaches like offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. focus full-time on the Tigers, it’s also fair to wonder whether that would be worth the reputational hit. Especially as Kiffin advocates such as Clark are even calling on him to allow his assistants to remain in Oxford, with the Rebels two wins away from their first national title in program history.

Then again, this is Lane Kiffin. And if there’s one thing we know about LSU’s new head coach, it’s that negative publicity is often a part of the package.