No. 6 Ole Miss bested No. 3 Georgia 34–31 in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday night, and did it without the coach who led them all season long before leaving for LSU on Nov. 30. Lane Kiffin spent the evening watching LSU women’s basketball instead.
But he still got a $500,000 bonus from the Rebels’ quarterfinal win.
As part of Kiffin’s exit to LSU, his new employer agreed to cover his full bonus structure from his contract with Ole Miss, according to details in an LSU term sheet Front Office Sports reported last month.
Kiffin already earned $150,000 for the Rebels making the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, and his bonus rose to $250,000 when the Rebels beat Tulane in the first round. Now he’s up to $500,000. As the Rebels advance, Kiffin can earn up to $1 million:
- $500,000 for Ole Miss advancing to the semifinals
- $750,000 if Ole Miss makes the national championship
- $1 million if the Rebels win it all
Pete Golding, who took over from Kiffin as head coach for at least the rest of this season, will also get the same bonuses, paid by Ole Miss, depending on how far the Rebels advance.
Kiffin created coaching carousel chaos with his drawn-out “will he, won’t he” decision-making process in November, with multiple schools wooing him to leave Ole Miss. A number of coach vacancies got filled within 24 hours after the Kiffin domino fell when he announced his decision to go to LSU.
Ole Miss next faces Miami in the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona on Jan. 8, when Kiffin can raise his bonus to $750,000.
