As if Friday’s Egg Bowl between the No. 7-ranked Ole Miss Rebels and Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville, Miss., needed more drama, there’s the coaching carousel cauldron that Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin finds himself in right now.
Kiffin, who has put Ole Miss on the College Football Playoff Rankings map this season, has been linked to jobs at LSU and Florida.
What Did Lane Kiffin Say About the Coaching Situation?
Just hours before kickoff, Kiffin was interviewed by SEC Network reporter Marty Smith on Friday. After Kiffin informed Smith and the viewers that Mississippi State students allegedly broke into Ole Miss’ locker room and stole Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss’ jersey, the conversation turned to Kiffin and his job.
Smith noted that fans in Starkville were either chanting “LSU, LSU” or “Chomp! Chomp!,” which is related to the Florida Gators’ football program.
.@Lane_Kiffin pregame chat with @MartySmithESPN 👀 pic.twitter.com/vmh0hzsrIa
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) November 28, 2025
“Today’s about this game and, like you said, 11 wins potentially for the first time in school history,” Kiffin said.
He added, “That’s the first time for 11 wins in the entire state by any program in the regular season. So, a lot on the line and our guys are focused and ready to play. And this noise thing you’re referring to? This has been going on for weeks. This isn’t new for us.”
Smith then asks about what type of timeline Kiffin is looking at to make his decision.
“I’m looking at we kickoff in an hour and a half or so or something like that,” Kiffin said. “That’s all I am worried about today. Then after that, let’s go watch Knox beat Tupelo at Oxford High School.”
Smith then mentioned that it has been a historic season for Ole Miss and that Kiffin is a highly sought-after head coach. Smith asks what Kiffin’s messaging has been to his players in the locker room as a leader during this time.
“When you perform really well as players, as a team, assistant coaches, you know, there’s a lot of stuff that goes with that,” Kiffin said. “Just like player awards or things like that. So, all it is is a compliment to their success and our players and assistant coaches’ success over the six years we’ve been here.”
Ahead of Friday’s showdown, Ole Miss and Kiffin announced last weekend that no official statement about Kiffin’s coaching situation with the Rebels would be released until after the Egg Bowl. Whether that’s right after Friday’s game or going into Saturday remains to be seen.
Ole Miss will be led on offense by Chambliss, who, according to the PFSN CFB QB Impact metrics, has an impact score of 92.4 and grades out to an A-. Kiffin hopes to get an A+ performance, though, out of Chambliss and his entire Rebels’ team against their rivals.