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Oct 18, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin talks with sports commentator Kirk Herbstreit prior to the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Kirk Herbstreit Believes Lane Kiffin Should Stay at Ole Miss, Avoid LSU and Florida

Originally posted on Ole Miss Rebels on SI | By Zack Nagy | Last updated Nov 4, 2025 9:00 AM ET

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin is the talk of the town with the coaching carousel heating up across college football as the 2025 season winds down.

Kiffin and the No. 7 ranked Rebels are knocking on the door of the program's first College Football Playoff berth, but it hasn't stopped the rumor mill from swirling surrounding Kiffin and open jobs.

The LSU Tigers, Florida Gators, Auburn Tigers, and Arkansas Razorbacks headline the programs searching for new head coaches with Kiffin linked to the programs in Baton Rouge and Gainesville.

But with the Rebels clicking on all cylinders after compiling an 8-1 record to start the 2025 season, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit believes Kiffin may want to take a closer look into remaining in Oxford.

“I might stay. I really might in the world we’re in now,” Herbstreit said on The Ryen Russilo Show. “Nick Saban and I were talking about this in a meeting on Friday. We were just talking about, there’s always been structure and kind of like as a coach, you’re at the MAC or Conference USA or Mountain West and then you hope to go to the Big Ten or ACC and even then there are tiers.

"Ole Miss has always been kind of a second tier (to) Florida, Georgia, Alabama, LSU, whatever it is. But man, now, what’s your budget look like? What can you afford? It’s no longer, ‘We win here. We send guys to the NFL. We’ve got tradition.’ No one cares. It’s, ‘How much you paying?’

“So at Ole Miss, without the pressure of Brian Kelly, ‘Win or else you’re fired,’ or Hugh Freeze, ‘Win or else you’re fired,’ or Kalen DeBoer, who’s kind of righted the ship, ‘Win or else you’re fired.’ Ole Miss is kind of like, ‘Hey, you notice the miles per hour? It’s 18 for Archie Manning. We have fun here at the Grove.’

"It’s not the same. Now, if he gets to the playoff and makes a run, maybe it will become that. But what’s wrong with coaching at Indiana in 2025? What’s wrong with coaching at Ole Miss?”

Herbstreit believes Kiffin has the ideal resources to win in Oxford with the quality of life different in the Magnolia State - as compared to other premier jobs in college football.

“If you’ve got the resources to put a staff together and pay your players, why not coach there and not deal with not sleeping at night because you’re not gonna win 11 games?” Herbstreit said. “Ryan Day had a 24-hour armed guard at his house last year after he lost to Michigan because of his own fans because they wanted his a** fired.

"Then he went on to win four in a row and win the national title. That’s not forgotten. At Ohio State or Michigan or those high-profile jobs that you think are revered and wanted, and I’m not saying they aren’t, but why do you have to go there?

“…Why do you gotta deal with, ‘You better win or else’ mentality when maybe you can accomplish the same stuff at less of a stressful situation? I’m not saying (Lane Kiffin) won’t go to Baton Rouge or Gainesville. I’m just asking why. Why do you have to go?”

Kiffin remains the talk of the town this fall with multiple coveted jobs open across the college football landscape.

This article first appeared on Ole Miss Rebels on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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