State law in Mississippi prevents public employees from signing contracts longer than four years, but documents show that coaches Lane Kiffin and Jeff Lebby – who lead the football programs at the state's two public SEC universities, Ole Miss and Mississippi State – have signed contracts for longer than that.
This is made possible by contracts Kiffin and Lebby inked with private athletic foundations at Ole Miss and Mississippi State, which permit coaches at both universities to circumvent the four-year limit on contracts for public employees within the state.
Ole Miss' men's basketball, women's basketball and baseball coaches each also signed foundation contracts longer than four years. So have Mississippi State's baseball and men's basketball coaches, as well as athletic director Zac Selmon.
“Historically, this process has ensured our competitiveness in the hiring market," a Mississippi State spokesperson told the Clarion Ledger.
"As an institution that competes at the highest level of college athletics, it’s imperative that our coaching contracts are competitive with market standards, and with the current model, we have been able to effectively navigate the contractual process in our industry," an Ole Miss spokesperson told the Clarion Ledger.
The Clarion Ledger obtained contracts between the Ole Miss Athletic Foundation, The Bulldog Club – as Mississippi State calls its athletic foundation – and coaches and administrators at both universities. In the past, the universities and the foundations had declined to release the documents, saying they were not subject to disclosure under the state's open records law.
Lane Kiffin and Jeff Lebby have contracts for longer than four years
Kiffin's most recent contract extension, signed Dec. 20, 2022, is a six-year deal, documents show, not a four-year agreement like his state contract implies. An automatic one-year extension was triggered on Dec. 8, 2023, meaning Kiffin is under contract through Dec. 31, 2029. The contract includes language to automatically trigger a one-year extension annually provided when Ole Miss wins at least seven regular-season games that season. If the team doesn't win seven games, the contract is automatically extended unless the foundation or Kiffin chooses to forego the extension.
Lebby's contract is a five-year deal, according to documents obtained by the Clarion Ledger. It does not include an automatic extension clause like Kiffin's does.
Ole Miss men's basketball coach Chris Beard signed a new six-year deal in the spring. Baseball coach Mike Bianco's most recent extension was for six years, ending in 2028. Women's basketball coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin has signed a five-year extension through the 2028-29 season. Both McPhee-McCuin and Bianco have triggers in their contracts for automatic one-year extensions if certain conditions are met.
At Mississippi State, both men's basketball coach Chris Jans and baseball coach Chris Lemonis signed five-year contracts initially. Lemonis' deal expires on June 30, 2026, while Jans is under contract through March 31, 2029. The Bulldogs announced a contract extension for Jans after earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament last March. That extension was compulsory; Jans' deal is automatically prolonged by one year every time MSU plays in March Madness.
Unlike his counterpart at Ole Miss, Mississippi State women's basketball coach Sam Purcell does not have a Bulldog Club contract. Selmon is, however, compensated by the Bulldog Club. His is only a four-year deal, though MSU's president holds the right annually to extend it by one year.
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Lane Kiffin and Jeff Lebby buyouts
The athletic foundation contracts also contain additional buyout details for coaches at both universities. At Ole Miss, the foundation would owe Kiffin 80% of his remaining total pay should Ole Miss fire him without cause. If Ole Miss were to fire Kiffin on Nov. 30 at the conclusion of the regular season, the foundation would owe him roughly $36,590,000. If Kiffin's automatic contract extension is triggered, as of Dec. 8 of each year, that rises to nearly $44 million.
Should Kiffin leave before the end of the 2024 calendar year, he would owe the foundation a buyout of $4 million. That number drops to $3 million in 2025, $2 million in 2026 and $1.5 million thereafter.
The Bulldog Club and the university each owe Lebby 75% of the remaining money on their deals should Mississippi State fire him without cause, making his buyout roughly $14.3 million if fired by Nov. 30. Unlike Kiffin, Lebby has a duty to mitigate.
Should Lebby leave on Jan. 31, 2025, he would owe the Bulldog Club $5 million. He would also owe the university $1.2 million. His Bulldog Club buyout drops by $1 million for each remaining year of the contract. If he accepts employment at another SEC school, his Bulldog Club buyout increases by $1.5 million.
David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.
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