Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin has guided the Rebels to an impressive 8-1 record and a No. 7 ranking in the AP Top 25 Poll, putting them on the verge of clinching a College Football Playoff spot. Kiffin’s success in Oxford has predictably linked his name to several top-tier job openings across the sport.
With historic programs like Penn State, Florida, Auburn, and LSU all making coaching changes in the past few weeks, speculation is running wild about where Kiffin might land next, if he decides to leave at all.
Why Might Lane Kiffin Stay at Ole Miss?
During a Monday segment of the “Ryen Russillo Show,” ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit suggested that Ole Miss might be the best job for Kiffin, even with historically elite programs like LSU and Florida in the mix.
“I might stay,” Herbstreit said. “I really might. In the world we’re in now, Ole Miss may be historically out of the top tier of SEC jobs, but nowadays, if the resources are in place, as Indiana is showing, you can win at a national title level anywhere. Ole Miss has always been like a second-tier right? Florida, Georgia, Alabama, LSU, whatever it is.” However, Herbstreit explained that the modern landscape of college football has changed the definition of a “good job.”
“But man, now, what’s your budget look like? What can you afford? It’s no longer, ’We win here. We send guys to the NFL. We got tradition.’ No one cares. It’s how much are you paying? It’s crazy.”
Herbstreit then identified a key factor that makes the situation at Ole Miss potentially more attractive than the pressure-cooker environments at LSU and Florida.
“So at Ole Miss, (you’re) without the pressure of Brian Kelly, Hugh Freeze or Kalen DeBoer, win or else you’re fired,” Herbstreit said. “Ole Miss, they’re kinda like, ‘We have fun at The Grove.’ It’s not the same. Now, if he gets to a Playoff and makes a run, maybe it will become that.”
This isn’t the first time another job has tempted Kiffin. In 2023, he revealed that he was close to taking the Auburn position before it was offered to the now-fired Hugh Freeze. Ultimately, his daughter, Landry Kiffin, who attends school in Oxford, convinced him to stay. Kiffin’s commitment to the Rebels was recently solidified when he triggered a one-year contract extension after a victory over the Oklahoma Sooners two weeks ago. His current contract now runs through 2031.
According to USA TODAY, the coach’s deal includes a hefty $36.6 million buyout and a $9 million annual salary, tying him for No. 10 among the highest-earning coaches in college football.