Lane Kiffin claims he doesn't know 'the numbers' in his own LSU contract in first press conference

LSU has committed to bringing on Lane Kiffin as its new head coach, giving the former Ole Miss coach a hefty contract to hire him away from the Rebels. But in an introductory press conference on Monday, Kiffin claimed that he doesn't know how much that payday was.

"I'm telling you right now: I don't know what my contract is here. That's not very financially responsible. I'm sure it's really good, OK?" Kiffin said on Monday, gesturing toward the people gathered to the side of the stage — including LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry, who introduced Kiffin ahead of the press conference.

Kiffin then said that he didn't know any contract details from the other schools (including Florida and Ole Miss) that were courting him, saying that he told his agent Jimmy Sexton not to show him the numbers.

"I said in the beginning, I told Jimmy Sexton: 'Don't show me the numbers. I want to make a decision that has nothing to do with money, for me,'" Kiffin said. "Tell me the numbers and the plan for what the money is for the players, because that's everything in that area to me. Not what I make, what they make, to understand how can you build this."

Though Kiffin may not know what's in his own contract, Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger reports that Kiffin received a seven-year, $90 million deal with from LSU. Under that deal, Kiffin will earn nearly $13 million annually, plus incentives — including bonuses if Ole Miss plays and advances in the College Football Playoff this season.

Kiffin becomes the second-highest paid head coach under the deal, trailing only Georgia's Kirby Smart, who earns around $13.3 million per year in base salary.

But, as Kiffin tells it, his own salary matters less than the investment in the program. Per Dellenger, LSU also promised roster investments exceeding $25 million. On Monday, Kiffin indicated that the NIL commitments were more important to him than his own compensation, and that it was one of the final factors in his decision.

"I actually asked today about my contract — not the numbers, I still don't know them — I said 'Hey, just in case I get asked on it," Kiffin said. "Basically, all four (offers) were extremely similar contracts for me, but in the process of figuring out the NIL packages, those were not similar.

"Those were not the same. And that's a big part of it."