New LSU head coach Lane Kiffin had a pack of glamorous stars by his side as he strolled into Tiger Stadium for his first game in charge on Saturday night.

More than nine months after his controversial decision to quit Ole Miss for LSU before last season’s College Football Playoff, Kiffin finally got to stand on the sideline for the SEC powerhouse.

However, he was made to wait a little longer after kickoff against Clemson in Baton Rouge was delayed by just over two hours due to heavy rain and lightning overhead. Heavy rain and loud, nearby lightning strikes cleared most of the stadium – except for the ever-raucous student section.

Despite that, the spirits of LSU fans could not be dampened and they went wild when they finally got a glimpse of their new head coach as he strolled down a packed entrance in front of thousands of fans. 

Kiffin was able to lead his players on the ‘Tiger Walk’ down ‘Victory Hill’ and into Tiger Stadium. A crowd more than 10 deep along barricades boistrously chanted ‘L-S-U!, L-S-U!’

Wearing a grey suit, Kiffin was accompanied by a star-studded group of supporters that was headlined by former LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne.

Brooks Nader and Livvy Dunne accompanied Lane Kiffin as he arrived for his first LSU game

The divisive head coach received a wild reception from LSU fans before their Clemson clash

Former LSU gymnast is a regular feature at the school’s sporting events, even after leaving

Stand-up comedian Theo Von was also part of the group and posed for selfies with fans

The social media sensation is a regular feature at LSU sporting events and she announced she was in Baton Rouge on Friday night, although there was no sign of her MLB-star boyfriend Paul Skenes. 

Dunne was not alone at the game, however, as she brought model Brooks Nader with her. The pair have seemingly struck up a friendship after recently working together on the reboot of hit TV show Baywatch.

Completing the group was podcaster and comedian Theo Von, who high-fived fans and posed for selfies.

When Kiffin first walked onto the field in a dark suit, he dapped coveted tight end recruit Ahmad Houston as the nearby student section roared.

Kiffin’s first game has been largely overshadowed by court cases involving NFL players returning to college football to use their final year of eligibility.

Kiffin recruited two of his former players at Ole Miss – defensive tackle Zxavian Harris and tight end Dae´Quan Wright – for LSU after both spent time with NFL clubs this offseason.

That stirred up a hornets’ nest, with the SEC suing LSU in federal court this week and potentially tainting a partnership dating to the Depression.

Several coaches have been outspoken against NFL players returning to college, including Clemson’s Dabo Swinney who called the notion of ex NFL players suiting up on Saturdays ’embarrassing’ for the sport.

All four Power Four conferences last week reiterated their rules against pro players and some outlined stiff penalties including fines and suspensions.

LSU’s new coach inspected the field at Tiger Stadium on a miserable night in Baton Rouge

However, nine months after his shock decision to quit Ole Miss, Kiffin had to wait for kickoff

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey testified that ‘the line between professional sports and college sports needs to be maintained,’ even in an era where top college players command million-dollar compensation packages through revenue sharing and NIL deals.

Kiffin, one of the most outspoken and polarizing figures in college football long before his recruitment of NFL players, sees things a little differently than most in college football.

He said he talked with LSU team leaders and all backed the idea of bringing in players who can help the Tigers – whether they tried out for NFL teams or not. He shrugged off the idea that it would wreck any final notion that college is meant for amateur athletes.

‘This is how it works at the next level,’ Kiffin said this week. ‘This is how the real world works.’

Harris and Wright are not part of LSU’s roster to take on Clemson on Saturday night.

Leaving Wright and Harris off the roster ‘wasn´t easy,’ Kiffin said Saturday on ESPN’s College GameDay.

‘As much as I feel for the players, and I believe that you fight for what you believe in, and I believe these kids have an opportunity to play just like all the other kids around the country that are winning court cases and being put on rosters.

‘But at the same time, I´m the head coach of LSU, and I had to make a decision that is for the big picture of LSU and the LSU football program with the uncertainties of what potentially could have come by adding them to the roster.

‘We couldn´t get exact reasons or exact what that would mean if we added them. So with that, we made the decision which is in the best interest of the team and the university.’

The bad weather that caused a delay to kickoff had been lingering over Tiger Stadium all day. College GameDay was thrown into chaos after a lightning storm forced the crew to evacuate their set.

The crew – featuring McAfee, host Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, and legendary former Alabama coach Nick Saban – had set up on the LSU campus. But, midway through the opening hour, severe weather rolling through the area triggered safety protocols, forcing an abrupt halt to the outdoor broadcast.

ESPN’s College GameDay was thrown into chaos on Saturday morning after a lightning storm

Pat McAfee and Co were forced to head to an auditorium on LSU’s campus for their broadcast

Addressing viewers as the broadcast scrambled, Davis broke the news to fans that the team had to abandon the outdoor stage.

‘The only thing that’s gone against us right now, unfortunately, is that we have some [bad] weather in the area,’ Davis said on air. ‘We’re going to have to move inside briefly.’

‘LSU and the people who take care of our safety, because there’s lightning close by, we’re going to have to move inside.

‘We encourage all of our friends here, make sure you stay safe away from the lightning,’ the veteran host added.

ESPN quickly cut away to studio coverage, airing highlights and college football analysis while the on-site production team worked to relocate the entire operation.

Incredibly, it took the crew just 12 minutes to get back on the air, setting up an impromptu desk inside what appeared to be an auditorium on campus – before later returning outside once the weather cleared.

The emergency move, however, drained much of the raucous atmosphere typical of the show, with the crew broadcasting from the quiet stage while thousands of soaked fans remained stranded outside.