LSU won its eighth national championship in baseball in June, but the biggest story in LSU sports this year was the firing of head football coach Brian Kelly and the hiring of Lane Kiffin. LSU Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott Ballard was a guest on Talk 107-3 in Baton Rouge and said Kiffin emerged quickly as their top choice to replace Kelly.
“We knew, from day one, that we wanted him. We saw Florida moving, and others who wanted Lane as well. But we knew we’d get him. We knew we wanted him, and we knew we were the best school in the world,” Ballard said.
Kiffin has a big task in front of him as he must rebuild a roster that went 7-6 this past season. Kiffin says signing high-caliber players out of the transfer portal will be critical to their success in 2026, and Ballard says LSU officials have all the confidence in Kiffin to get the job done.
“Lane is going to go and work with the tools given to him, and he’s going to be the best at it. I truly believe that, which is part of why we hired him,” Ballard said.
When Kiffin was hired, “The Advocate” reported LSU was prepared to spend up to $30 million annually on Kiffin’s roster. LSU Athletic Director Verge Ausberry says now that the coach is in place, a big part of his job in 2026 is fundraising.
“I’m going to be very, very involved with the philanthropic fundraising and corporate sponsorships. Those are two areas that I love to be in, and people skills and working with people and working with the legislature and other people. It’s about how we can have more financing for LSU in different areas,” Ausberry said.