Ryan McGee Discusses Kiffin Rumors as Ole Miss Tops Oklahoma
With the Florida coaching job opening, many fans have thrown around names of coaches they want to take over. Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin outlined that he wants an experienced coach with a history of success. Under this condition, a name that has risen to the top of many lists is Ole Miss’ coach Lane Kiffin.
Kiffin has had several jobs throughout the last 20 years, but is most recently known for his tenures as offensive coordinator for Alabama, coach of FAU and his current position as coach of Ole Miss.
At Alabama, Kiffin led a top-30 offense all three of his seasons, helping the team make three College Football Playoff appearances and win a national championship. This success landed him the coaching job at FAU, where he stayed for another three years. Under his guidance, FAU had two 11-win seasons and won two Conference USA championships. But Kiffin climbed another rung on the coaching ladder by accepting the position with Ole Miss. During Kiffin’s time with the Rebels, he transformed the program from a middle-of-the-pack SEC team into a national contender.
Thus, his recent history of success has made him an attractive candidate, but it also brings the query of whether Kiffin even wants to leave Ole Miss. He notched his second top-15 win of the season on Saturday, beating Oklahoma, and the Rebels have a 49.5% of making the College Football Playoff for the first time, according to ESPN. But Kiffin addressed the coaching rumors to his team before facing the Sooners, per Molly McGrath.
So the cycle continues to swirl.
ESPN writer Ryan McGee, who recently was the primary reporter on E60’s “The Many Lives of Lan Kiffin,” provided some insight into Kiffin’s looming decision and Florida’s head-coaching search while speaking on WRUF’s SportsLab Friday.
McGee said that it was unclear whether Kiffin is planning on staying at Ole Miss. The situation depends on how heavily he weighs certain factors. His family has settled into Oxford. He has a son that goes to high school in the town, a daughter that attends Ole Miss and his ex-wife — the children’s mother — lives nearby. McGee also stated that while the Florida job was better than the Ole Miss job, he also believes staying has gotten much more attractive over the years.
“He viewed the Ole Miss job the way all of us did, which was [that] this was a bridge job to get from his success at FAU to a next level power four program,” McGee said. “But he has turned Ole Miss into a next level Power Four program.”
While Ole Miss has improved, McGee also acknowledged that Florida would likely give Kiffin a better chance to win a national championship because of the amount of resources the university pours into its football program. “It sure feels like you’re starting a lot closer to the finish line if you got the Florida job than at the Ole Miss job,” McGee added.
With the acknowledgement that it was a strong possibility that Kiffin stays at Ole Miss, McGee was asked who Florida should hire if Kiffin decides to stay in Oxford. His response was brief: “I would hire James Franklin yesterday.”
Franklin was recently fired from his previous job at Penn State after losing to a winless UCLA that looked like one of the worst Power Four teams in the last decade. However, despite the disappointing 2025 season for Penn State, Franklin has a history of success. Penn State was just three points away from playing in the national championship game last season, falling to Notre Dame 27-24 in the Orange Bowl, and has finished the season ranked in each of the past three years.
But there are other benefits to Franklin.
“He’s someone who knows the SEC,” McGee said, referencing his time at Vanderbilt, where he went 24-15. “He’s someone who can recruit. He’s someone that certainly understands the business model.”
Whether the Gators hire Kiffin, Franklin or someone else, all should provide a brighter future for Florida’s football program.
Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Football, Gators Football
