“I got tired of digging out of situations”: Lane Kiffin opens up on battle with alcohol that impacted marriage with spouse Layla

Lane Kiffin has, over the years, built a public image around confidence, wit and football acumen. This has helped him become one of the best coaches in college football. However, life hasn’t come without challenges for the LSU coach, and a chapter of it led him to a divorce in 2016.

In an interview with Vanity Fair published on Monday, Lane Kiffin was honest about his struggles with alcohol. The Tigers coach noted that it had so much impact on his personal life, harming his marriage with Layla Kiffin and played a crucial role in the eventual divorce between them.

“My whole drive when I was younger was like, How fast can I get everything? How fast can I get the big job? The big contract?” Kiffin said. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve tried to work on that, making decisions that are more delayed gratification…I got tired of digging out of hangovers, tired of digging out of situations or things I said.”

Lane Kiffin had just completed his second season as Alabama offensive coordinator when his separation from his wife was announced in February 2016. His rollercoaster life following that period led him to sobriety in January 2021, a personal journey he’s always proud to talk about.

Last year, Layla and Lane got back together after almost a decade of being divorced and co-parenting their three kids. The couple initially stirred reconciliation rumors in December 2024 after sharing a video of a trip to New York for the birthday of their first daughter, Landry Kiffin.

Lane Kiffin cites a recruiting roadblock at Ole Miss

Lane Kiffin got a massive contract to leave Oxford for Baton Rouge in November. However, this wasn’t just all about the money and the prominence of LSU. According to his interview with Vanity Fair, Ole Miss’ hesitation to move beyond its segregated past was a recruiting challenge.

“When he was coaching there, Kiffin says, top recruits would tell him, ‘Hey, coach, we really like you. But my grandparents aren’t letting me move to Oxford, Mississippi,’ the article wrote.

“That doesn’t come up when you say Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Parents were sitting here this weekend saying the campus’s diversity feels so great: ‘It feels like there’s no segregation. And we want that for our kid because that’s the real world.’”

Lane Kiffin has shown his recruiting prowess since his arrival at LSU, luring top high school and transfer portal prospects to Baton Rouge. Nonetheless, there’s been a lot of criticism about the claim since Vanity Fair shared the snippet of X.