Lane Kiffin is fully settled into his new position at LSU after departing Ole Miss just before the Rebels began their postseason run. Considering the success he had in Oxford, many were displeased at this decision to part ways.
Meanwhile, Kiffin has already sent his well-wishes to his former team, hoping Ole Miss can win the national championship this year. He was also connected to the Florida Gators’ head coaching vacancy, but that didn’t materialize. After Billy Napier’s firing, Kiffin was heavily rumored to be a top candidate for Florida’s head coach position. But according to athletic director Scott Stricklin, Kiffin was among multiple coaches who ultimately passed on the opportunity.
Lane Kiffin Was One of Several Coaches to Decline the Florida Job
“We ended up talking to nearly a dozen candidates,” Stricklin said. “Some people we wanted to talk to, for whatever reason, weren’t interested.”
Kiffin had been the Gators’ preferred choice for months, and CBS Sports’ Jon Talty reported that he even showed some interest in the job. A major factor fueling the rumor was Kiffin’s family connection to Florida, as his ex-wife, Layla, is a Florida alumna, and their son, Knox, visited Gainesville as a high school recruit. Kiffin also had success in the state at Florida Atlantic.
However, Talty reported that Kiffin’s initial conversation with Stricklin “did not go well.” Some insiders reported that Stricklin shifted his focus to Jon Sumrall after sensing the chances of landing Kiffin were slim.
As Kiffin chose to leave Ole Miss for LSU, Stricklin had a diplomatic reaction. “He’s a fascinating guy, and I respect his decision,” Stricklin said. “I don’t know why he made the decision he did, but, you know, I would say we have productive conversations. I enjoyed those conversations.”
Meanwhile, Florida introduced Sumrall as its new head coach on Monday, and he is considered a better long-term fit for a program seeking stability and quick improvement. Sumrall revealed that he and Kiffin had been in frequent contact throughout the process, and that Kiffin even endorsed him for the Florida job.
“Going through the process of making decisions on jobs this time of year,” Sumrall said. “Maybe not ideal for coaching in the season. There’s very few people that you can trust to maybe have that conversation with them about what it’s like to go through this because it’s unique.”
“And I do want to be very direct on one thing. Lane Kiffin and I have been going through the same thing, and we’ve talked a lot. We were both in agreement that I was the right man for this job. So, he co-signed on that.”
Sumrall has taken Tulane to a 10-2 record this season and is 19-7 over two years, reaching the American Athletic Conference championship game both seasons. He now inherits a Florida team that went 22-23 over the past four seasons before Napier was fired. The Gators finished 4-8 this year and sit at No. 20. in PFSN’s CFB tOLi metric.
