Why Ole Miss has no reason to worry about losing Lane Kiffin

Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Recent news shows Ole Miss has even less reason to worry about losing Lane Kiffin

By Eric Smithling | Last updated 11/24/22

The Grove Collective is the preeminent NIL collective for the Ole Miss Rebels and announced it reached a goal of $10 million for use in attracting athletes to Oxford.

Thank You Rebel Nation! We have surpassed our 2023 revenue goal of 10+m dollars in NIL funding for our student athletes. This would not have been possible without your support, trust and generosity to the Grove Collective. We are LOYAL Rebels and have proved that, regardless…
— The Grove Collective (@grovecollectnil) November 23, 2022

Lane Kiffin told his team on Wednesday he has no plans of coaching anywhere but at Ole Miss in 2023.

NEW Lane Kiffin informed Ole Miss players Wednesday evening that, unless something significantly changes, he plans on staying with the Rebels, sources tell @mzenitz & @SpiritBen

More: https://t.co/3q4uLkghZc pic.twitter.com/Fi0CQpiuAY
— On3 (@On3sports) November 24, 2022

He needed to say something after an unverified report surfaced that Kiffin would become Auburn's next head coach at the conclusion of the Rebels' regular season.

While the issue appears to be dead and buried, until Auburn lands on a new coach, concerns will remain in Oxford over Kiffin's future.

The Ole Miss faithful may be able to breathe a sigh of relief after the announcement from the school's biggest NIL collective.

In May, Kiffin was candid when speaking about the changing landscape in college football with Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger.

Sitting in Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin's office in May, he told me that, from here on out, one of the top determinations for coaches in moving jobs will be a school's NIL collective situation.

We will see that from ADs as well. It's now a part of the resources discussion.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) October 31, 2022

Auburn (5-6, 2-5 in SEC) still has about $3 million more than Ole Miss (8-3, 4-3 in SEC) in NIL funds (h/t Ross Dellenger), but with The Grove Collective closing the gap, there may not be enough incentive for Kiffin to move from a program trending upward to one on the decline.

It's still not out of the realm of possibility that Auburn makes an 11th-hour offer that's too good to be refused. The likelier outcome is Kiffin is already home.

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