Rumor Mill: Will Lane Kiffin Leave Ole Miss To Coach Auburn In 2023?

“Really disappointing finish, to that game, to your home winning streak on the line. Playing Alabama, with ball in our hands to win. We didn’t do it. Watched two other teams this year do it, in Tennessee and LSU, finish right at the end when you have a chance to do it… We are really ashamed, a waste of a lot of things.”

Lane Kiffin To Auburn Rumors

After this opening statement for Kiffin it seems like he wants out of Mississippi for one reason, he cannot beat Nick Saban unless he can beat him in recruiting. There is a school where he can compete with Saban in recruiting though, Auburn. 

After Bryan Harsin was fired two weeks ago Auburn initiated their search for the next coach of the Tigers. Lane Kiffin for all intents and purposes looks to be the top target in that search. Kiffin would be eligible to walk at the end of the season and would do so, although his contract is until 2025.

According to Auburn football message boards, Auburn is reportedly going to offer Lane Kiffin $120 Million over ten years. Other reports are that Auburn offered Lane Kiffin $56 million over eight years. The best that Ole Miss could do to match that is to have been in the $18-$20 million range, on the high end. This is because the Mississippi state legislature only allows for state employees to have contracts up to four years. This alleged ten year contract would make Kiffin the fifth highest paid coach in college football behind Dabo Sweeney, Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, and Lincoln Riley.

The only issue with paying Lane Kiffin so much is that Auburn is still paying Gus Malzahn and Bryan Harsin over $44 million combined so it would be a massive gamble for Auburn. Although this is a reported number from an inside source at the University this number would most likely not be set in stone. It would be a better bargain for Auburn for the eight year contract.

This would allow for Auburn and Lane Kiffin to both benefit from each other. With the massive amount of boosters Auburn has and Kiffin’s recruiting ability this could level the competitive scale between Alabama and Auburn. Even with Saban’s recruiting being top of the nation every year, Kiffin is just as strong as a recruiter and would be recruiting from the same pool of players that Alabama and Saban are. 

Paul Finebaum had an interesting quote a few weeks ago as well talking about what Lane Kiffin is thinking heading into this offseason. 

“The thing about Auburn that I think Kiffin is thinking is it would be so much easier to recruit there than where I’m at, even though he’s doing well. That’s self-evident. But he’s having to scramble to stay alive at Ole Miss whereas at Auburn, there’s a much stronger recruiting base from a booster standpoint and a financial standpoint.”

Kiffin has been promoting the Ole Miss football program non stop on twitter the past two days so this may all be smoke in mirrors but I see that as a front. So if Auburn does make it easier for Lane Kiffin to compete then I see him being the head coach there next season.