Did Lane Kiffin pick the best staff possible? Is it missing one particular thing?

Lane Kiffin’s first LSU staff suggests the Tigers believe in continuity and not reinvention. It is the quickest path to contention for them in the SEC. Whether it is the best staff possible depends on perspective.

Kiffin leaned heavily on familiarity, bringing eight assistants with him from Ole Miss. That group powered one of the SEC’s most efficient offenses and helped the Rebels reach their first College Football Playoff.

Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., tight ends coach Joe Cox and running backs coach Kevin Smith give LSU a proven offensive mix that already speaks the same language. That matters for a coach who wants to install his system quickly and capitalize on momentum.

The additions from outside the Ole Miss pipeline are targeted and sensible. Offensive line coach Eric Wolford brings decades of SEC experience, while Sterling Lucas and Joe Houston add defensive front and special teams depth. Retaining defensive coordinator Blake Baker further stabilizes the transition, especially with LSU expected to keep position coaches Kevin Peoples, Corey Raymond and Jake Olsen to finish out the defensive staff.

From a production standpoint, the staff checks nearly every box. Kiffin’s teams have been fast, creative and relentless offensively. His recruiting impact at LSU has already been immediate, with 14 commits in days and a class that finished 13th nationally despite the late surge. The results mirror his Ole Miss run, where he went 55-19 overall and consistently won at a level the program had rarely seen.

What the staff appears to lack, however, is a true outsider with national championship experience. A veteran voice who has coordinated or coached on the sport’s biggest stages. The staff is cohesive, but it is also insulated. At LSU, expectations extend beyond innovation and double-digit wins. The Tigers demand success in titles.

Kiffin chose ceiling over comfort by leaving Oxford. His staff suggests he trusts his process. The remaining question is whether that process needs one more proven championship piece to match LSU’s ambitions.

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