Why Lane Kiffin made $500,000 off Ole Miss win over Georgia

As Ole Miss keeps winning, so does former head coach Lane Kiffin.

The coach, who bolted from the program prior to the College Football Playoff (CFP) for LSU, still gets the incentives that were set up in his Ole Miss contract as part of his new deal with the Tigers, per CBS.

LSU will pay the bonuses, which now include $500,000 for getting to the CFP semifinals after wins over Tulane in the first round and No. 3 Georgia on Thursday night in the quarterfinals.

Next up for Ole Miss and new head coach Pete Golding is No. 10 Miami in the semifinals.

If the Rebels beat the Hurricanes, Kiffin gets $750,000, and should they end up winning the national title, Kiffin could earn as much as $1 million, according to reports.

That’s after Kiffin left Ole Miss for a seven-year, $91 million deal to go to LSU, which fired Brian Kelly after his failed tenure following Kelly’s high-profile arrival from Notre Dame.

It all comes amid drama surrounding the Ole Miss program following Kiffin’s departure, which was speculated about for much of the season after Kelly’s dismissal in Baton Rouge.

There continues to be controversy surrounding which of Kiffin’s assistant coaches that are headed with him to LSU will be allowed to coach the Rebels in the semifinals next Thursday.

With the transfer portal having opened Friday, the new LSU staff is focused on recruiting.

On top of that, Kiffin initially expressed interest in attending Thursday night’s game against Georgia before opting to instead attend a women’s basketball game at LSU.

His continued spotlight at Ole Miss has not been appreciated by at least some of his former players.

Senior defensive tackle Zxavian Harris called Kiffin leaving before the playoffs a “slap in the face.”

As for Kiffin potentially showing up to their game against Georgia on Thursday, Harris added, according to ESPN, “He was just trying to steal our shine. That’s all he’s trying to do. That’s all he’s been trying to do, is steal our shine.”