
The Ole Miss Rebels have to feel like they're in a precarious position.
On one hand, head coach Lane Kiffin has led them to 54 wins compared to just 19 losses over the past six years. This season, he has the Rebels at 10-1 and ranked No. 6 in the country. They're one of the favorites to make a run through the College Football Playoff this season.
On the other hand, Kiffin is openly being courted by at least the LSU Tigers and Florida Gators to fill their respective head-coaching vacancies. We know Kiffin's family has been flown out to both Gainesville and Baton Rouge. There have also been reports of Ole Miss giving Kiffin an ultimatum regarding making a decision to stay or leave, though Kiffin has vehemently denied that news.
Ultimately, the Rebels could find themselves without a head coach here during one of the best seasons they've had in some time. In fact, college football analyst Joel Klatt believes Kiffin is as good as gone.
“Here’s the thing: If he wanted to stay, he would stay and we would have already known it,” Klatt told Colin Cowherd earlier this week (h/t On3). “Look at all the other coaches around the country that have said they’re staying or signed extensions. And Ole Miss, I know, has told him money is not a factor here. Whatever you get offered, we will match it. So it’s not that he’s going to make more somewhere else, which is starting to lead me to believe — and again, I will fully own I have been all over the map on this and Lane. But Lane is a unique cat."
"I think that we're gonna have one of the biggest messes in college football history go down before the playoff when Lane Kiffin steps away from a College Football Playoff team"@colincowherd and @joelklatt discuss the latest on Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin pic.twitter.com/H3cJen3SFS
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) November 19, 2025
Kiffin is a "unique cat" in that you can totally see money not being a factor for him. Ole Miss may offer to match whatever he'd get elsewhere, but the Rebels can't match the prestige that would come along with being the head coach at one of the most well-known programs not just in the SEC, but in football in general.
Heck, Kiffin could be an NFL head coach with the Tennessee Titans tomorrow, but coaching at LSU or Florida would definitely rival that.
Klatt believes that ultimately, Kiffin will be coaching in Gainesville. It also seems like Klatt feels that Kiffin will leave before this season even ends for Ole Miss.
For the Rebels, that would be a disaster.
"I think he’s going to Florida — I really do," Klatt said. "I think he’s going to Florida and I think he’s going to be the next coach of the Gators, and I think that we’re going to have one of the biggest messes in college football history go down before the Playoff when Lane Kiffin steps away from a College Football Playoff team and goes to coach another team.”
In the history of Lane Kiffin coaching controversies, this would rank near the top.
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