Lane Kiffin Has Unusual Response To Florida Coaching Rumors

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Oct 24, 2025 3:54 PM ET

With Indiana's Curt Cignetti now completely off the coaching carousel for the foreseeable future, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin is now the apple of every team's eye - particularly Florida.

Kiffin has a history of being an ace recruiter in the state of Florida. With the Florida Gators head coaching job now open, everyone expects them to make a serious run at getting him before Ole Miss reaches an extension with him.

But in a rare change of pace, Kiffin addressed the coaching rumors with ESPN's Molly McGrath. Kiffin said that he intended to address the rumors with his players due to all of the coaching rumors that are floating around.

"Lane Kiffin told me he usually doesn’t address those kind of coaching rumors in-season, because there’s so much more football to play, and there’s so many bigger things to focus on. But he’s actually going to do things differently today in their team meeting – he is going to address those (Florida) rumors with his players. He’s going to talk to them about it and say: ‘Hey, this is what happens when you win. This is a compliment to our players, our staff and our entire program.’ He wants to talk to his players about it because there’s so many new guys on their team this year that haven’t dealt with it before," McGrath said, via On3.

NEW: Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin plans to address the Florida job with his players, per @MollyAMcGrath:

"Lane Kiffin told me he usually doesn’t address those kind of coaching rumors in-season, because there’s so much more football to play, and there’s so many bigger things… pic.twitter.com/GD2Q3JT4Tb
— On3 (@On3sports) October 24, 2025

Is he leaving?

Fans quickly assumed that Kiffin would only be addressing the rumors with his players if Kiffin was already dead-set on leaving:

"Coaches say this before they hop on the plane lol," one user remarked.

"He’s leaving for Florida..." another concluded.

"Lane gonna tell them 'don’t worry I’m not leaving, I’m leveraging a new contract extension from Ole Miss,'” a third wrote.

Oct 18, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin reacts during the second half of the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The biggest flaw in that theory is that telling his players that he's leaving while they're in the middle of the season would probably result in them not giving their all the rest of the way - which would in turn sabotage his contract negotiations with the Gators. At worst, someone in his locker room might leak that he's agreed to the job, which could be a breach of contract and cost him millions depending on the language of his current deal at Ole Miss.l

Then again, Kiffin could simply just tell them that he's staying and change his mind once the Gators approach him with their final offer. It's not like he hasn't left an SEC team for a better offer before...

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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