Lane Kiffin's Future a Bigger Storyline than Florida-Ole Miss

So much so that Kiffin reportedly addressed the position with his team shortly after Napier was fired. Speculation has been further raised as a rumored extension at Ole Miss remains unsigned and other social media rumors run rampant about when a possible announcement of his decision could come, including a Twitter rumor that an announcement could come on Sunday.

Kiffin only added to the speculation this week when asked how he would define what makes a good head coaching job. His full two-minute response is below:

"I wasn't ready for that one. I think that's evolved and changed and there's different things. I've said to you guys a couple of years ago. People used to say, when people wanted to hire you. What questions do you have? What are your concerns? People used to say, 'Facilities. How many practice fields? Those things.

"I said, 'It's going to change. It's going to be how much NIL do you have?' When it was all collective, 'How's your collective. How's it going to run? How much do you have?' Before (revenue share), that was the salary cap. That was how much money you were going to have.

"Some people sometimes think, 'Ok, that's not a big deal,' but just look at professional sports. Baseball and the payrolls, and over time, who wins and who doesn't win? You may have outlier years once in a while.

"So, it's a little equaled out, but it's still 'How much are you giving to rev to your football program, and how much do you have collective-wise?' I think is a big question. People will talk about it's narrowed, like I heard Coach (Nick) Saban say, and some stuff has narrowed as I refer to it because you can't stockpile, you know, whatever blue bloods, or whatever you want to call or refer to it.

"But there's still things there you're going to struggle to beat those guys because kids are still recruited, and they see size of stadiums and tradition and Heismans and national championships. And then your location to talent. I think all of those are in there."

How many of those traits does Ole Miss have more of than Florida, head-to-head?

Kiffin was also asked how important it is to him to decide his future before the transfer portal opens, a factor should Ole Miss make a run in the CFP.

"I ain't figured all that out," Kiffin said. "I'm trying to keep our winning streak and get to 8-0 at home."

Still, one cannot ignore the allure for Kiffin to stay at Ole Miss. That is the place that put him back to national relevance as a head coach, it's the town where his son currently shines as a high school quarterback, and he can etch himself in glory without ever winning a national title.

Yet, Florida is Florida, even at 3-6 and in danger of its fourth losing season in five years, and after ignoring Kiffin in its 2021 coaching search and choosing to keep Napier in 2024 over taking a shot at Kiffin, the Gators will swing hard at Kiffin, hoping he will be the man to bring them back to the glory days.

Whether Kiffin stays at Ole Miss or chooses to jump across the SEC to Florida remains to be seen. If you ask the Ole Miss side, it's only a matter of time until he's extended. If you ask the Florida side, he could be on the next flight to Gainesville.

And while the actual game has relevance with playoff and bowl implications, it pales in comparison to Kiffin's decision.

Saturday's game between the two will be a minor footnote in a major coaching decision.