With #12 Ole Miss in the spotlight this week facing #1 Alabama, speculation is fixating on head coach Lane Kiffin and whether he will return to USC to be head coach following the firing of Clay Helton a few weeks ago.
Kiffin spent two separate stints as a USC coach. First, he was an assistant from 2001-06 before taking a head coaching job in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders. Then, after bouncing around to Tennessee, the Trojans hired Kiffin following the departure of longtime coach Pete Carroll to the Seattle Seahawks.
With a vacancy in Los Angeles, Kiffin's name has come up as a possibility to make a second return, which would mean a departure from the Rebels in Oxford.
However, Kiffin doubled down and squashed those rumors on the Dan Patrick Show today.
"I'm fully committed to where I'm at," Kiffin said. "This is a wonderful place. I love the people here."
Kiffin signed a contract extension following the team's victory in the Outback Bowl last season, so it's clear that he wants to be at Ole Miss. His new contract is set to pay him $21 million until 2024, and while USC can likely offer more, there are likely more cons than pros for Kiffin to take the job in LA.
Sure, Kiffin will likely not be in Oxford forever. But for now, it at least looks as though he will be here for the long haul.
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