This comes after Kiffin led the Rebels to an 11-1 record, which will likely be enough for a place in the College Football Playoff. While previous reports claimed him wanting to coach Ole Miss in an almost-guaranteed playoff run would complicate his departure, Kiffin confirmed himself that he will not be on the sidelines again this season.
"After a lot of prayer and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision to accept the head coaching position at LSU," Kiffin said in his statement. "I was hoping to complete a historic six-season run with this year's team by leading Ole Miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on the team's incredible success and their commitment to finish strong, and investing everything into a playoff run with guardrails in place to protect the program in any areas of concern.
"My request to do so was denied by (Ole Miss athletic director) Keith Carter, despite the team also asking him to allow me to keep coaching them so they could better maintain their high level of performance. Unfortunately, that means Friday's Egg Bowl was my last game coaching the Rebels."
The 50-year-old had been linked with both LSU and Florida, with the latter firing Brian Kelly back in October. However, over the last week, it appeared evident that the Tigers were the favourites to secure him. According to ESPN, LSU are giving Kiffin a $12 million per year contract for seven years, plus potential bonuses.
"We are thrilled to welcome Coach Kiffin as the next head coach of the LSU football program," said LSU director of athletics Verge Ausberry in a statement. "We shared when we began this search that LSU would secure the best coach in the country and Lane Kiffin is just that."
Throughout his time with the Rebels, Kiffin had a 55-19 record, leading them to five bowl games in a row. They managed to win the Outback Bowl, Peach Bowl, and Gator Bowl under his tenure.
Before his time with Ole Miss, Kiffin had disappointing tenures at Tennessee (7-6) and Southern Cal (28-15). However, he then was an assistant coach at Alabama from 2014-16. That resulted in another head coaching role with Florida Atlantic from 2017-19, where Kiffin had a 27-13 record.
In the meantime, Ole Miss have already found Kiffin's replacement, promoting Pete Goulding from defensive coordinator to the lead role. It will be a first-ever head coaching role for the 41-year-old, who has been with the Rebels for the last three years.