Some have taken exception to LSU coach Lane Kiffin’s use of $40,000 in donations for private jet travel to take his family on a recent trip to Boca Raton, Florida.
Contractually, Kiffin is allotted 65 hours of private air travel for personal use. It’s unknown how many hours the Boca Raton trip took, but suffice it to say, he has plenty of private travel time left.
Kiffin has some familiarity with Boca Raton, having coached there at Florida Atlantic University from 2017 to 2019.
The bill for the trip was picked up by the Tiger Athletic Foundation, a private entity that raises money for LSU athletics. The Boca trip wasn’t the only time the Tiger Athletic Foundation picked up the tab for the Tigers’ new head coach.
Documents from the LSU Board of Supervisors show that the foundation also spent nearly $65,000 on four other private flights for business purposes for Kiffin during January-March 2026.
Kiffin’s contract is for seven years and pays him $13 million per season. However, the deal also includes several lucrative incentive packages.
According to Yahoo Sports, “Kiffin’s trip was funded by the Tiger Athletic Foundation, but the bulk of his compensation is paid by the university itself. His contract also does not specify that the travel must be paid by private donors.
“Because Kiffin is a state employee, benefits he receives from a private entity affiliated with the university that exceed $1,000 must be reported to the board quarterly under Louisiana law. “