‘The Lane Train’ Gains Steam as Florida Gators Eye Kiffin
The visor, the emotion, the swagger. At first, you may be thinking of “The Head Ball Coach” Steve Spurrier. But turn your eyes to a coach at Ole Miss: Lane Kiffin.
With the departure of Billy Napier after only Florida’s seventh game this season, fans have plenty of time to stew in future coach predictions. Thus “The Lane Train” is a motto leaking into The Swamp as the Gators begin their search.
Kiffin is a top candidate for the Gators, carrying an impressive resume. Other candidates loom in the distance, such as James Franklin, Brent Key or Eli Drinkwitz, but so far, all the talk is centered around Kiffin.
The Ole Miss Rebels sit at No. 8 on the AP Poll, continuing Kiffin’s upward trajectory of the program. He joined a desperate Ole Miss in 2020, with the school’s last season above .500 coming in 2015.
Since he joined, Kiffin is 50-19 at Ole Miss. Kiffin barely missed the College Football Playoff last year, likely due to a loss at Florida, but finished 10-3. In the previous season, he notched his second New Year’s Six Bowl in three years.
When comparing him to coaches like James Franklin, who had a 4-21 record against AP top 10 teams at Penn State, Kiffin has gone 5-6 against the same quality of opponents at Ole Miss. That’s also against SEC play.
Loading ...Stacked up against Napier, Kiffin has shown he’s less stubborn when it comes to trusting new coordinators. After watching a struggling Ole Miss defense, Kiffin hired Pete Golding as defensive coordinator for the Rebels in January of 2023.
But why would Kiffin forfeit an SEC job where he’s shown success to come to the floundering Gators?
Cash, recruiting and legacy.
Per the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database, Florida received over $10 million more in donor contributions than Ole Miss in 2024. Florida also spent $1 million more in recruiting expenses in 2024. Take it to the fans, and UF has over 60,000 students, with over 500,000 living alumni. Ole Miss: Less than 30,000 students and only 128,000 living alumni. The stage will be bigger at UF.
Recruiting funds and donors should mean a lot for Kiffin. Since he’s been at Ole Miss, the Gators have signed better classes every year in 247 Sports’ recruiting rankings. This has nothing to do with winning — as Ole Miss has been better than the Gators — but all to do with the resources down in Gainesville.
The thought that Florida isn’t a better situation is simply false, according to the numbers. Ole Miss has hit its financial ceiling, and Florida could give Kiffin that extra boost to turn him into a national champion. And the guy’s idol is Steve Spurrier, anyway. It’s no coincidence they have similarities. Kiffin wants to be him.
Florida’s next five games will bring many narratives, but Kiffin is the clear No. 1 choice for the Florida Gators. If you have a nice house you’re trying to sell in the area, maybe start reaching out.
Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Football, Gators Football
