Lane Kiffin is preparing for his big LSU debut and the internet has decided that football is not enough.
Before Kiffin gets to coach his first game in Baton Rouge, attention is turning back to his time at Alabama. Specifically, reports about his alleged booze-filled past and claims about relationships during his three seasons on Nick Saban’s staff.
Apparently, the road to a college football debut must include a few old headlines.
Kiffin spent three seasons working under Saban at Alabama and helped build one of the sport’s most dangerous offenses and eventually moved on to other coaching jobs.
Now he is back in the spotlight, and this time, the spotlight is much brighter.
LSU is preparing to host Clemson on Saturday. That matchup would normally be enough to dominate the conversation. Two major programs, a new coach and a huge stage.
But Kiffin’s past has decided to join the starting lineup.
Vanity Fair published an excerpt Wednesday from the John Talty book, “Lane Being Lane: The Story of Lane Kiffin, College Football’s Agent of Chaos,” which details Kiffin’s rocky transition from Alabama to FAU in 2016 — and his alleged risqué behavior at Tuscaloosa-area bars.
On at least one occasion, an Alabama staffer had to go to Innisfree Irish Pub to retrieve a golf cart Kiffin had left there the night before.
“[Innisfree co-owner Derick] Purdy would call me and say, your boy Lane’s back in here asking where the hotties are. ‘Can you introduce me to hotties?’” former LSU QB and Alabama assistant coach Josh Booty said.
Reports about his alleged partying and romantic escapades while at Alabama have resurfaced ahead of the game.
The book claims Saban had a member of his staff warn Kiffin to stay away from college students and sorority girls after his wife, Terry Saban, had heard through friends that Kiffin — then living separately from his wife Layla and their children, who were in California — was out and about on the town trying to pick up women.
“You’ve got to keep Lane away from the girls that are in college,” Saban said, according to one former coach.
“Just keep him away from the sorority girls. Make sure they’ve graduated college or are working a job.”
Kiffin has enormous pressure on him. LSU expects to compete at the highest level. Clemson is not exactly planning to arrive in Baton Rouge and politely hand over the victory.
In 2015, rumors swirled of Kiffin being fired by Alabama for an affair, and TMZ reported at the time that the matter set Saban off.
The book also states that Kiffin’s off-field antics fueled a disconnect between him and Saban, and stunted his growth for opportunities.
Kiffin announced the couple’s divorce in February 2016, telling Fox Sports at the time that their split was a mutual decision, and co-parenting their three kids was their priority.
Layla officially filed for divorce a month later, citing irreconcilable differences. The pair stirred reconciliation rumors during a trip to New York City in December 2024, and Kiffin appeared to hard-launch their reunion on social media in March 2025.
The book also states that Kiffin’s off-field antics fueled a disconnect between him and Saban, and stunted his growth for opportunities.
College football is part sport, part soap opera, and part detective agency. Fans want touchdowns, reporters want answers and social media wants chaos.
Now Lane is being sued.
The SEC filed a lawsuit in federal court against LSU, head football coach Lane Kiffin and other school administrators on Thursday as the conference and university remain at odds over the eligibility status of multiple potential LSU football players who spent time on NFL training camp rosters.
The SEC’s case argues First Amendment violations by LSU, by forcing the conference to associate with actions that violate the conference’s rules. A similar legal argument was made by the Big 12 against Texas Tech in its federal filing earlier this summer around Brendan Sorsby. That case has yet to move forward, though the Big 12’s argument impacted Sorsby’s decision to leave Texas Tech and accept permanent ineligibility status from the NCAA.
Wild times at LSU.
