Inside Lane Kiffin’s $91M LSU Mega Deal: Jimmy Sexton’s Masterclass, SEC Buyouts & TV Money | Deals & Deadlines

Lane Kiffin is off to LSU on a $91 million guaranteed deal — and the business side is absolutely wild. On this episode of Deals and Deadlines, Matt Chernoff and super agent Hadley Engelhardt break down how Jimmy Sexton pulled it off, what LSU actually bought, and why this contract is unlike almost anything we’ve seen in college football.

We also dive into:

• Why Lane’s buyout tops Brian Kelly’s and what it says about LSU’s strategy

• How the state of Louisiana structures coaching contracts at public universities

• Why LSU is paying Lane Kiffin bonuses based on Ole Miss’ playoff run

• The $140M wave of SEC buyouts and the “Kirby Smart effect” on the coaching carousel

• Penn State’s messy search: agents, leverage, and how they ended up behind everyone

• The monster NIL/QB flip: Jared Curtis from Georgia to Vanderbilt

• Whether TV networks and media partners are “corrupt” or just doing smart business

• Why ESPN is at Georgia–Alabama instead of Big Ten title sites — and why that’s just reality

• NBC “leasing” the Big Ten title game & what a $70M rights fee really buys you

• Michael Jordan’s legendary “Love of the Game” clause and why no one will ever get it again

• Christian Ponder’s new mission to help athletes transition after their playing days

• Tiger Woods’ push to shorten and reshape the PGA Tour schedule post–Super Bowl

🔔 New sports business episodes drop every Friday on the 680 The Fan YouTube channel and wherever you get your podcasts.

👤 Hosts:
Matt Chernoff & Hadley Engelhardt
🎧 Show: Deals and Deadlines – your weekly look at contracts, buyouts, NIL, media rights, and the money behind the games.

⏱ Chapters:
0:00 Intro – What is Deals and Deadlines?
0:36 Lane Kiffin to LSU: The chase, the ego, the fit
3:12 Inside the $91M contract & buyout structure
7:01 Lane’s Ole Miss playoff bonuses… paid by LSU
10:19 SEC coaching firings & $140M in buyouts
12:51 Penn State’s coaching search mess
15:25 Jared Curtis flips from Georgia to Vanderbilt
17:07 Are TV networks “corrupt” or just doing business?
21:13 NBC leasing the Big Ten title game
22:52 Michael Jordan’s “Love of the Game” clause
24:30 Christian Ponder & life after sports
29:05 Tiger Woods, PGA schedule changes & golf’s TV problem

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