Five takeaways from LSU's Lane Kiffin at SEC Media Days

LSU football took its turn at SEC Media Days on Thursday. Head coach Lane Kiffin led the way, joined by LSU's three player reps: Trey'Dez Green, Whit Weeks, and TJ Dottery.

>Media Days are yet another reminder of the college football season growing closer. The dog days of Summer are nearing an end. In 44 days, LSU will take the field and the Kiffin era will begin vs. Clemson.

>Media days rarely reveal state secrets. Typically, coaches and players fill the time with boilerplate answers as they try to avoid giving away too much about position battles or making headlines for the wrong reasons. Yet media days still serve as a time to refamiliarize with each team across the conference, a task that can some time in the transfer portal era.

>LSU has over 50 new players between its transfer portal and high school recruiting class. But most of the talk about LSU in Tampa wasn't about the players -- it was about Kiffin.

>Make no mistake, Kiffin is the story for this LSU team entering 2026. Kiffin's high profile, paired with his messy exit from Ole Miss, has him at the center of the sport. Here are five takeaways from Kiffin's first SEC Media Days appearance as LSU's head coach.

Lane Kiffin understands how to use the filibusterI said it's rare for state secrets to be revealed at media days -- coaches using the filibuster helps with that. Kiffin avoided questions at his main press conference by opening his session with a 16-minute filibuster. By the time Kiffin was done with his opening statement, there was only time for a few questions.

>We can debate whether or not it's the proper thing to do, but it worked in Kiffin's favor given the type of questions he was likely to get from the media. I'm sure SEC and LSU administrators were glad to see Kiffin leave without creating any headlines.

Kiffin still takes issue with the SEC's nine-game scheduleKiffin wasn't shy about discussing the SEC's new scheduling format. The SEC will play nine conference games in 2026, finally making the move after years of speculation. Kiffin cautioned against the extra conference game before it was added and continues to make his case despite the change.

>"My concern was about the nine games is that you're going to lose non-conference games. Teams will eventually get out of the bigger non-conference games because the selection process is not fixed," Kiffin said.

>Kiffin said he does not think the College Football Playoff committee puts enough weight on strength of schedule to make it worth it for the SEC. Kiffin isn't necessarily shying away from playing tough opponents, but he wants to make sure LSU is going to be rewarded for it.

Kiffin has reflected on his Ole Miss exitKiffin told ESPN that he has some regrets about the way he left Ole Miss. Kiffin knew he was taking the LSU job, but still wanted to coach Ole Miss in the playoff. As Kiffin pleaded his case to Ole Miss AD Keith Carter, the saga dragged on and became the story of college football. Kiffin left Oxford on a sour note. We haven't heard Kiffin go this in-depth on the situation since taking the LSU job.

>Kiffin's comments to ESPN came a day after Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding said that he and Kiffin are good, and there's no "ill will."

>Despite Kiffin and Golding pouring some water on the fire, tensions will still be high when Ole Miss and LSU meet in Week 3.

Lane Kiffin thinks LSU football has the roster to win nowSome have accused Kiffin of trying to temper expectations in Baton Rouge, but if you've listened to Kiffin this offseason, it's clear he believes in this roster.

>"We put together a roster that can win now," Kiffin said in Tampa.

>Kiffin said he took the LSU job to sign the best players in the country and he feels the Tigers have done that through attacking the transfer portal and signing a talented high school recruiting class.

Lane Kiffin is taking a social media sabbatical This doesn't necessarily relate to what LSU is doing on the field, but it was a major topic for Kiffin at media days. The LSU head coach has been off social media all Summer, even deleting the apps from his phone. This typically wouldn't be a story, but Kiffin was one of the most active coaches on social media for years, often stirring the pot and poking fun at former colleagues like Lane Kiffin or Kirby Smart.

>Kiffin said it started after his son, Knox Kiffin, challenged him and said he couldn't stay off social media. So far, Kiffin is proving he can.

>This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Five takeaways from LSU's Lane Kiffin at SEC Media Days