Lane Kiffin is back in the spotlight—and not for the reasons LSU hoped. After a rocky exit from Mississippi last season, every word out of the new Tigers' head coach is being scrutinized. And with good reason.

Kiffin recently had to issue an apology following a Vanity Fair article where he compared diversity at LSU to his former school. He tried to soften the blow with a "no disrespect" toward Mississippi, but the damage was done. In Oxford, they weren't buying it.

This puts LSU in a tough spot. The school shelled out big money to lure Kiffin from a playoff contender to Baton Rouge. They want him out there, hyping the program's future. But not if it means issuing clarifications every other week. At least he didn't claim he was misquoted—the folks at Vanity Fair likely have the tape.

You get the sense Kiffin doesn't have much of a filter. That's a problem in the dead of the offseason. What happens when SEC Media Days roll around? Or when the season kicks off? And LSU has a 2026 game at Mississippi—will the Tigers even let him speak to the media that week? Might be wise to keep him quiet.

If there's a list of college coaches who need to pipe down, Kiffin takes the top five spots. That's a lot of noise for a guy who still hasn't proven he can consistently win.