New Florida football coach: Top 5 best candidates if Lane Kiffin stays at Ole Miss

Perhaps Florida can still get their man, but here's a look at the top candidates to be the next Gators coach if Kiffin passes on Gainesville.

No. 5 Louisville HC Jeff Brohm

Jeff Brohm may not be as sexy of a name as others on this list, but the Louisville coach is a candidate who checks some of the boxes of what fits in Gainesville. Brohm is an offensive-minded head coach who is winning at Louisville. If armed with the resources at Florida, there is reason to think the veteran coach could have the Gators back in SEC contention.

No. 4 Vanderbilt HC Clark Lea

Just a few years ago, Clark Lea was being mentioned as someone on the hot seat. Now it is hard to find a major job opening where his name is not being mentioned. Vanderbilt had mostly been left for dead at the bottom of the SEC.

Lea took advantage of the changing college football landscape and remarkably has Vandy looking like a playoff contender. Rebuilding his alma mater is a nice story, but Florida could give Lea more of everything.

No. 3 Former Penn State HC James Franklin

With the number of vacancies, James Franklin is going to land a job somewhere. The question is whether top programs like LSU or Florida will consider Franklin.

It is not as if Franklin did not have success at Penn State, but the coach's record in big games proved to be a deciding factor in his firing. Franklin and Florida could be a perfect marriage.

The Gators could provide Franklin with one of the top programs to recruit at and plenty of NIL resources. Franklin could help Florida return to relevance in a short time.

No. 2 Arizona State HC Kenny Dillingham

Kenny Dillingham may not be a current SEC coach, but the rising star has all the traits to succeed in the southeast. All Dillingham has done is lead Arizona State to the College Football Playoff and turn the Sun Devils into a perennial Big 12 contender.

Like Lea, it may be hard to pry Dillingham away from his alma mater. A program like LSU, Penn State or Florida could provide Dillingham with more resources that would be hard to turn down.

No. 1 Missouri HC Eli Drinkwitz

For some reason, Florida fans are not fond of this potential hire, but Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz fits all the things the Gators appear to be looking for in finding the program's next coach. Drinkwitz has already had success in the SEC with back-to-back double-digit win seasons at Missouri.

Like Kiffin, Drinkwitz is an offensive-minded head coach. Also like Kiffin, Drinkwitz is not afraid to speak his mind. If the Gators are looking for a coach in the Steve Spurrier mold, Drinkwitz is a great fit.