Assessing Lane Kiffin's 2026 coaching options after Ole Miss sets decision deadline

Ole Miss won't have to wait long for a resolution to its Lane Kiffin saga.

On Monday, amid an intense pursuit from the Florida Gators and LSU Tigers, reports surfaced that the Ole Miss Rebels, ranked No. 7 in the most-recent College Football Playoff top 25 poll, has given Kiffin, their head coach the past six seasons, a deadline of Nov. 28 to decide whether he'll stay on with the program or flee for one of his SEC suitors.

What should Kiffin do? Below, we examine his three options and rank them from least to most appealing.

3. Florida Gators

Once a national powerhouse, Florida (3-7, 2-5 SEC) hasn't been relevant in the SEC or national conversation this decade, with its last double-digit-win season coming in 2019, former coach Dan Mullen's second season. Of Kiffin's potential 2026 landing spots, the Gators would likely be the hardest to make competitive immediately. However, he has history recruiting the area as Florida Atlantic head coach from 2017-19 and is familiar with a rebuild after taking over at Ole Miss, which hadn't posted a winning season since 2015 when he was hired in December 2019.

2. LSU Tigers

LSU (6-4, 3-4 SEC) has averaged 4.5 losses per season in the six years since winning the 2019 national title. Outside of a trip to the SEC Championship game in 2022 and quarterback Jayden Daniels' 2023 Heisman run, there's been little to celebrate on the bayou recently. Kiffin could be the spark the program needs. The Tigers, who reportedly hosted Kiffin's family on Monday, have no problems attracting top talent, and his offensive acumen could lead to an offensive revival. After ranking first in scoring in 2023 (45.5 points per game), LSU finished No. 47 a season ago (30.5 points per game) and is No. 98 through 10 games this year (23.6 points per game).

Kiffin spurning the Rebels for the Tigers would also inject life into the teams' rivalry, making future matchups (they were named "permanent rivals" in the SEC's 2026-29 conference schedules) can't-miss television, beginning in 2026 when LSU travels to Ole Miss.

1. Ole Miss Rebels

Why, out of all the years to leave Oxford, should Kiffin choose 2025 to do so? Ole Miss (10-1, 6-1 SEC) is an Egg Bowl win over in-state rival Mississippi State away from clinching an at-large bid in the College Football Playoff. Kiffin finally has a team capable of competing for a national championship, which makes the timing of a possible exodus dubious. 

The NIL and transfer portal have proven that with the proper investments, any team can compete on the biggest stages. It's why No. 2 Indiana (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) and No. 6 Texas Tech (10-1, 7-1 Big 12), program's without much winning history, are experiencing unprecedented success. The Rebels might not have the championship pedigree of Florida and LSU, programs with five national titles combined this century, but that's less relevant in the modern era. Coaches don't need massive brands to compete at the highest level. The best ones forge their own path.