The Commercial Appeal

Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin agree on new contract

- Nick Suss

Ole Miss football announced on Saturday that it has agreed on a new contract for coach Lane Kiffin after his first season.

"I appreciate Keith's leadership and his commitment to building a winning football program," Kiffin said in a school release. "While I'm proud of what our team accomplish­ed this season, we have higher aspiration­s for Ole Miss

Football. This is just the start, and I look forward to continuing to build a championsh­ip program."

The school's announceme­nt does not provide details on whether Kiffin will be receiving a raise in pay. Mississipp­i laws do not allow university employees to be on contracts longer than four years, so Kiffin's extension can only be a one-year extension rolling over his four-year contract to 2024.

Kiffin's initial deal signed in 2019 began with a base salary of $3.9 million for 2020 that increased by $100,000 every season, meaning he will be paid $4.2 million in 2023. In total, Kiffin's fouryear contract as signed in 2019 was worth $16.2 million.

"This is an investment in the future of Ole Miss Football," Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter said in a statement. "We hired coach Kiffin with the hope of revitalizi­ng our football program, and in just one short year, he has done just that. His innovative offensive approach has shattered SEC records, and with a top-20 recruiting class coming in, the future is bright under Coach

Kiffin's leadership."

The bonus structure in Kiffin's contract includes incentives for winning the SEC ($400,000), making specific bowl games ($50,000-$250,000) and winning non-conference regular season games against Power 5 opponents ($100,000).

Ole Miss went 5-5 in Kiffin's first season, including a victory against Indiana in the Outback Bowl on Saturday.

Contact Nick Suss at 601-408-2674 or nsuss@gannett.com. Follow @nicksuss on Twitter.

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