Lane Kiffin is in Year 1 of his tenure with LSU, but he’s been around the SEC for a long time.

Kiffin was previously the head coach at SEC schools like Tennessee and Ole Miss. He also served as an assistant coach under Nick Saban at the University of Alabama. SEC fans have been dealing with Kiffin for more than a decade.

However, while Kiffin has always been a bit of a polarizing figure, he’s become truly hated to many, following his move from Ole Miss to LSU last offseason. A new study has voted Kiffin the “most hated” person in the conference – and it’s not particularly close.

Kiffin has close to two times more negative comments than everyone else in the conference, according to the data from Gator Analytics.

The Most Hated Person in the SEC
(Analysis from @GataData88 who tracked banter across SEC sub reddits) pic.twitter.com/ESrETsAbmz

— Brad Crawford (@BCrawford247) October 14, 2026

Kiffin has 2.92 negative comments per 1,000 mentions, which is by far the most in the conference. Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer, somewhat surprisingly, is No. 2 on the list. South Carolina coach Shane Beamer is No. 3, while Texas quarterback Arch Manning is down at No. 4 and Oklahoma coach Brent Venables is No. 5.

It’s been a tough Year 1 for Kiffin at LSU

LSU is 4-2 on the season, after entering the year with College Football Playoff and national title hopes.

The Tigers have lost on the road at Ole Miss and on the road at Kentucky. LSU still has a chance to reach the College Football Playoff, but it’s going to be tough.

LSU is set to host No. 16 Mississippi State this weekend. The Tigers then play at Auburn, before a three-game stretch against Alabama, Texas and Tennessee. LSU finishes the year against Arkansas.

At this point, a 9-3 or 8-4 season feels somewhat realistic for LSU, which will be a disappointing mark for Kiffin’s first season.

This story was originally published by The Spun on Oct 14, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Source: Yahoo Sports