Lane Kiffin knew all eyes would be on his LSU Tigers for their Saturday night season opener against Clemson after his offseason pursuit of players who had already exhausted their NCAA eligibility and moved on to the NFL.
And though he ultimately opted against adding those players to his initial roster amid threats of punishment from the SEC -- even after a Louisiana judge approved a preliminary injunction clearing the way for their return -- LSU rolled 51-10 in a game that was over by halftime when the score was 31-3.
It was at that point Kiffin saw fit to drop a 1-liner about having pro players.
"Imagine if we had pro players." 😅
— ESPN (@espn) September 6, 2026
Lane Kiffin is not holding back. pic.twitter.com/OzHEZqw1UW
"Imagine if we had pro players," Kiffin said to ESPN's
Holly Rowe before jogging off the field for halftime.
Though many people are opposed to his push to add pros to LSU's roster, the irony in his joke was apparent. It's not like the players already on the team aren't also something adjacent to professionals. Kiffin is clearly enjoying his role as the villain in this situation.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Lane Kiffin joked about having 'pro players' at halftime of LSU dominating Clemson
