LSU started the 2026 season with sky-high expectations after hiring Lane Kiffin following Brian Kelly’s firing. However, the Tigers have already dropped two of their first six games, slipping to a 4-2 record.
The unexpected loss against Kentucky this past weekend has intensified the pressure on Kiffin, raising questions about LSU’s consistency. The team’s struggles have also drawn criticism from 2019 Tigers national champion Breiden Fehoko.
Breiden Fehoko Compares Lane Kiffin’s Struggles to Brian Kelly
Following its loss to Kentucky, LSU suffered a significant drop in the latest AP Top 25 rankings, falling from No. 10 to No. 22. With two losses through Week 6, the Tigers face an increasingly challenging road to the College Football Playoff, as no team with three losses that failed to reach its conference championship game has earned a spot in the 12-team playoff in its brief existence.
The situation is a disappointing turn for a program like LSU, given the heavy financial investment it made in Kiffin and his roster for his debut season in Baton Rouge.
Given the talent and resources available to the Tigers, Fehoko believes there is little justification if the team fails to finish the regular season with a 10-2 record. He also took a direct shot at Kiffin, saying the head coach has struggled to establish a clear identity for his team.
“If you want to be this villain, if you want to create this villain identity, then do that and fully commit to it,” Fehoko said in the latest episode of “The Fehoko Show” on Tuesday. “If you want to be Nick Saban, fully commit to it. But Lane, you have an identity crisis. You can’t decide what you want, and I see that product on the field.
“I see a team some weeks that wants to roll on their opponent, that ain’t afraid to gamble and double down, that’s gonna talk their (expletive), and then sometimes I see a team that’s, ‘Oh man, we just got punched in the mouth.’ I don’t know what to do. It doesn’t look like LSU…
“Nobody in the SEC fears LSU. That is my problem. When I got to LSU, when the OGs came before me, LSU was great football.”
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Fehoko’s criticism also brought Kelly into the conversation, raising questions about whether the Tigers have made meaningful progress since parting ways with him last season.
Kelly arrived in Baton Rouge after leaving Notre Dame and had a 34-14 record with the Tigers. He also led the Tigers to the 2022 SEC Championship Game, but LSU failed to qualify for the CFP during his tenure.
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Fehoko said that Kelly struggled to overcome the final hurdle against the top competition in college football. He now fears that Kiffin could face similar difficulties, despite LSU’s decision to make a coaching change in pursuit of greater success.
“The real truth about LSU. They fired a coach who couldn’t win the big games to go and hire a guy who can’t win the big games. Oh but ‘LSU parade grounds is like Mardi Gras every Saturday!’ There is zero leadership right now at Louisiana State University, and that’s the truth,” Fehoko wrote.
MORE:Urban Meyer Reveals Why He’s Not Too Bothered By Lane Kiffin’s LSU Falling to Kentucky
Though LSU was not universally considered a national championship favorite in Kiffin’s debut season, the Tigers entered the season with expectations of competing for a CFP berth.
However, the Tigers now have only a 10.9% chance of making the 12-team playoff field this season, according to PFN’s CFB Playoff Meter.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.