When Clemson and LSU met at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium on Aug. 30 to open the 2025 campaign – a 17-10 win for LSU – Brian Kelly was beginning his fourth season as the Bayou Bengals’ head coach.

Now, Kelly is gone after being fired on Oct. 26, with LSU sitting at 5-3 at the time after coming into this season with national championship aspirations.

Of course, Kelly’s replacement is former Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, who was hired by LSU this past Sunday and signed a seven-year, $91 million contract (which includes several incentives to earn more money).

That means Kiffin and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney will face off against each other next year when Clemson and LSU kick off their 2026 seasons in Baton Rouge.

On Wednesday, Swinney reacted to LSU hiring Kiffin, with Swinney discussing their relationship and the upcoming 2026 matchup.

“I know Lane professionally,” Swinney said. “We’ve text many times over the years. He’s reached out different times, questions, or whatever. So, obviously he’s a great coach, and that’s a great program. When that time comes, it’ll be a great matchup.”

Kiffin joins LSU after guiding Ole Miss to double-digit wins four times in six years, including an 11-1 mark this year — the first 11-win regular season in Ole Miss history. Kiffin’s college head coaching career spans 14 seasons and includes a 117-53 overall record. He has had seven 10-win seasons and led teams to nine bowl appearances. His teams have been ranked in the final AP Top 25 poll five times.

Kiffin’s previous head coaching jobs include Tennessee (2009), Southern Cal (2010-13) and Florida Atlantic (2017-19). He also served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 2007-08.

–Photo courtesy of Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images