Lane Kiffin is learning a hard lesson on what not to do at LSU and it’s going to cost him his job if he’s not careful
LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin is learning a tough lesson this week in Baton Rouge.
LSU head coach Lane Kiffin is learning a lesson the hard way this week.
Many Tigers fans are unhappy that Kiffin and LSU missed out on 2027 five-star wide receiver Easton Royal.
Royal, who is from New Orleans, is rated in 247Sports’ composite rankings as the No. 1 player in the state of Louisiana and the No. 1 wide receiver in the nation.
For months, LSU was the predicted landing spot for Royal, who had been a Texas commit since last November.
But earlier this week, Royal flipped his commitment from Texas to Florida.
Florida is allegedly paying Royal north of $1.6 million.
The belief is that LSU wasn’t willing to go that high for Royal.
“Royal flipped his commitment to Florida over the weekend after the Gators put together an NIL package that reportedly went north of $1.6 million,” noted On3’s Shea Dixon this week. “Whatever the final NIL dollar amount was, in an era when agents represent high school athletes and take the reins on NIL discussions, the writing is seemingly on the wall relative to LSU’s final discussions with Royal and his representation. The Gators had exceeded what LSU was willing to offer.”
Kiffin and his staff are committed to their NIL process, which places a value on players that they’re unwilling to exceed.
That’s an approach that makes a lot of sense. But it doesn’t make sense when it comes to Royal.
Look, you just can’t lose the top wide receiver in the state to Florida. If Royal is setting college football on fire in a couple of years, everyone will wonder how in the world Kiffin let the best wide receiver in Louisiana end up at Florida. No one will care about the dollar amount or that LSU saved a few hundred thousand bucks. All they will see is a Louisiana native in a Florida uniform who should’ve been playing in Baton Rouge.
Kiffin’s approach is sound, but there needs to be some wiggle room when it comes to in-state players. If LSU can’t afford the top wide receiver in the state in the 2027 recruiting cycle, what’s going to change in the future?
Losing to Kentucky with a $50 million roster and losing the top wide receiver in Louisiana because you’re being cheap is a quick way to find yourself on the hot seat, Lane.
