Rumors have taken over the SEC as coaching carousel season hits full speed, and few names draw more attention than Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. Florida and LSU both need new leadership after high-profile firings, and fans from Oxford to Baton Rouge are wondering if Kiffin will trade his current post for a shot with the Gators or Tigers.
With the “deadline” looming and the Rebels closing in on the College Football Playoff, the coming days are loaded with intrigue as one of the conference’s most successful coaches weighs his next move.
Will Lane Kiffin Become Florida’s New Head Coach?
Speculation swirled for weeks, but it intensified once Florida let Billy Napier go in October. Kiffin, who has turned Ole Miss into an SEC powerhouse with four double-digit win seasons in five years, quickly rose to the top of Florida’s wish list. Meanwhile, LSU fired Brian Kelly one week later and included Kiffin in their shortlist, too.
Florida’s urgency showed after Ole Miss beat the Gators 34-24 to reach 10-1 for the season. Fans chanted “We Want Lane” late in the game, while word emerged that Kiffin’s family had visited both Gainesville and Baton Rouge in recent days. According to ON3 and The Advocate, LSU reportedly sent a private plane for Kiffin’s family’s Baton Rouge visit, after a similar trip to Florida, but the coach was not on those flights.
Ole Miss gave Lane Kiffin an ultimatum to decide if he will be leaving the program for Florida or LSU before the Nov. 28 Egg Bowl against Mississippi State, per @TheAthletic. pic.twitter.com/ZtaZwfb19t
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) November 17, 2025
Still, seeing Kiffin’s relatives making the rounds stoked more rumors that a major move could be coming.
Until now, neither Florida nor LSU has made their next hire, and Ole Miss does not want to be left in limbo. Their athletic director, Keith Carter, has worked to renew Kiffin’s contract and reportedly set a strict deadline for a decision.
According to the Athletic, Kiffin must announce whether he is staying or leaving before or shortly after the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State on November 28. If there is no answer by then, Ole Miss might have to make tough playoff decisions about his role as head coach. Messages to Carter for comment have not been returned, adding to the tension.
Kiffin’s record at Ole Miss, 54-19 over six seasons, ranks among the best in school history. He has won more double-digit games in five years than Ole Miss achieved in the previous 50 years. His career head coaching record, including stops at Tennessee, USC, and FAU, is 115-53.
With the Rebels favored to earn their first College Football Playoff appearance, the stakes around Kiffin’s decision have never been higher. This season, Kiffin has led Ole Miss to the 12th-best offense in CFB, according to PFSN’s Offense Impact metric. They are currently 13th in points per game (37.2), with the most passing yards across all of the FBS (3356).
Reporters have pressed Kiffin for answers, but he has stayed focused on his team. After Saturday’s win over Florida, Kiffin said, “I love what we’re doing here. Today was awesome. To even talk about it right now would be so disrespectful to our players and how well they played today. We’ve got a lot of things going here. Doing really well, and I love it here.”
Still, the reported timeline for a final decision is now public, and fans around the SEC are watching closely as one of college football’s most intriguing coaching searches plays out.
What is Lane Kiffin’s Salary?
Ole Miss’ win against Oklahoma on Oct. 25 triggered an automatic contract extension for Kiffin.
That win marked the program’s seventh regular season victory, activating a clause in Kiffin’s agreement with the Ole Miss Athletic Foundation that triggers a one-year extension. As of January 1, 2026, his deal now runs through December 31, 2031.
The additional year adds $9 million in salary, with $7.2 million guaranteed. Kiffin’s annual $9 million salary ties him for sixth-highest among SEC coaches.
