Speculation surrounding Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin is at an all-time high as the regular season winds down.
Kiffin is one of the most prominent coaches in college football, and with jobs at LSU, Florida, Auburn, and Penn State currently open, many believe he could accept one of them despite his success at Ole Miss. The Rebels are currently ranked No. 7 in the nation and are firmly in line for a College Football Playoff bid if they win their regular-season finale on Nov. 28 against Mississippi State.
One person who seems to think Kiffin may be on the move is ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, who said on the “Matt Barrie Show” that all signs are “pointing toward Florida.”
“Yeah, I mean, Ole Miss has not played at the highest level lately, but they’re getting by,” Finebaum said. “I don’t understand Florida. Let’s not waste a lot of time on them. One week they take off; the next week they come back and look like a team that’s capable of making a run. Lane Kiffin is the story right now. As the week unfolded last week, the Kiffin rumors started going crazy.
“We’re not here to discuss rumors, but you could not avoid it and everybody seems to know something. He is going to have a difficult time these next couple of weeks dealing with it because everything seems to be pointing toward Florida. It appears the governor did a good job of taking Lane Kiffin out of the LSU situation. Now, how does he deal with it?”
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On Monday, it was reported that Kiffin has several family members attending both LSU and Florida, suggesting he is at least seriously considering both options. At the same time, Ole Miss is reportedly giving him an ultimatum to make a decision on his coaching future, which is expected to come by the Mississippi State game.
If Kiffin decides to leave, it will be fascinating to see how things unfold, especially if the Rebels make the College Football Playoff. The university could choose not to let Kiffin coach if they know he’s leaving the program, which would create one of the most intriguing storylines of the season. On top of that, he’d be leaving Ole Miss for two programs that aren’t currently ranked and aren’t going to make the playoffs.
“I asked somebody the other day in the circle of people that actually do know. What about the Playoff? I heard some crazy stuff about the Playoff, and as important as it is to get there, jobs are more important right now,” Finebaum added. “So, I’m not saying anything is going to happen or could happen, but I think we might be in for the wackiest postseason we have ever seen.”
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