Lane Kiffin Rumors: The Case for Staying at Ole Miss Over Florida or LSU

Since Lane Kiffin broke into the coaching spotlight as the USC offensive coordinator, he has always been obsessed with the limelight. He was a disaster hire for former Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis. He then went to Tennessee, where he was gone as quickly as he arrived, and followed that with a quick, rocky tenure back at USC as head coach.

Then Lane Kiffin did the smartest move of his coaching career. He attended the school of Nick Saban and served as his offensive coordinator for three seasons. Under Saban, he matured and did a much better job at keeping his focus on football, not the media landscape. This has continued, whether at FAU or now at Ole Miss.

Of course, he still likes to have fun on social media and chirp other coaches in the SEC; however, the main takeaway from his time in Oxford is that he’s turned Ole Miss into a perennial contender in the SEC, something that hasn’t ever been the case for the Rebels.

That’s why his recent hijinks have been such a surprise when they really shouldn’t. One of two things is currently happening: either Kiffin is riling up a media circus just to look like a hero, or he’s going to make a massive mistake leaving Ole Miss.

Kiffin is the absolute king of Oxford. Ole Miss has said they will match any contract thrown his way. They have given him the keys to the kingdom. Why in the world would he leave this amazing situation for the absolute messes of Florida or LSU? I know that Florida has always been his dream job, so I wouldn’t fault him too hard for taking that job, but the LSU job makes no sense.

If he were to go to LSU, the expectations aren’t the same as they are at Ole Miss. He’s done so much in the ways of changing their culture that if he has a bad season, his seat won’t be immediately red hot. On the other hand, ask Brian Kelly how it goes if you aren’t a national contender at LSU. Ole Miss has a very respectable NIL budget, but doesn’t have a Todd Graves-level donor to land the biggest recruits and transfers. Outside of missing a massive donor, there’s nothing that LSU has that Ole Miss can’t offer Lane.

Then there’s Florida. That program is an utter disaster, and the only thing saving it is its location right in the center of one of the biggest recruiting hotbeds in the country. From Florida’s issues within the athletic department to previous contract issues with paying NIL, and just the overall culture issues at the university, it’s not a job I would touch with a ten-foot pole.

Moving to Florida now feels like when Kiffin took on the USC job while they were dealing with all their sanctions. He’s a far better coach now than he was then, but taking over that mess feels like it’s only done to stroke his ego.

He can stay in Oxford where they’ll build him a statue, or he can leave and show he really win anywhere now. I just think there’s an obvious choice, and I hope he takes it.